As a patient you have certain rights, some of which are detailed below:

• Your health records are confidential and information is processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• You may gain access to your records under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.
• The Practice operates a non-discriminatory policy in that all patients will be dealt with equally regardless of race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, disability or socio-economic status.
• You are entitled to complain about any service or treatment you have received that you are unhappy with. Initially the Practice Manager will deal with this.
• You may accept or refuse treatment including examinations, tests and diagnostic procedures. Please ensure you have been given enough information to enable you to make an informed choice.

As a patient there are certain responsibilities you have which can help the Practice work more effectively:

• Please notify the Practice of any changes in your name, address or telephone number and ensure you notify relevant hospitals or clinics at the same time.
• Ensure that when you are requesting repeat medication you give the Practice 48 hours to process these.
• If you are unable to attend a pre-booked appointment, please notify the Practice as soon as possible.
• Ensure that you follow the advice and treatment you have been given. If you are concerned about this please contact the person who gave you the initial advice.

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or abusive, they will be warned to stop their behaviour. If they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.