THE BERMUDA PRACTICE PATIENT CHARTER

We aim to provide the best possible service to our patients and hope you will feel that we achieve our aim.
The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the primary health care team. The success of that partnership depends on an understanding of each other's needs and co-operation between us.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have the right to confidentiality
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your own doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 30 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection within 24 hours of your request
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with quickly.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO US

• Please treat all surgery staff with due respect - we are all just doing our job
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
• Tell us of any change of name or address, so that our records are accurate
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are really too ill to attend surgery, and night visits should be for emergencies only - the doctor on call will be at work as usual the next day
• Please cancel your appointment ASAP if you are unable to attend
• Please be punctual, but please be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant's letter or test results to reach us
• You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait
• Please attend for your repeat prescription review, when asked, before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you
• We would, of course, also be pleased to hear when you feel praise is due.

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

We are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients. Please present your views in writing at reception or use our suggestion box.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We always try to provide the best service possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. The following information explains our in-house complaints procedure, drawn up to respond to patient grievances.

Our practice procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation. We hope you will use it to allow us to look into and, if necessary, correct any problems that you have identified, or mistakes that have been made. If you use this procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the health services authority.

Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient's consent will be necessary if a compliant is not made by the patient in person. If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone or write to our practice manager. Full details will be taken and a decision made on how best to undertake the investigation.

We believe it is important to deal with complaints swiftly, so you will be offered an appointment for a meeting to discuss the details within one day. Occasionally it may take a little longer, but we will keep you informed throughout. You may bring a friend or relative with you to the meeting. We will try to address your concerns, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed.

CONFIDENTIALITY

We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate treatment. This information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the team.