Rights and Responsibilities

Your doctor's responsibilities:

To treat you with courtesy and respect at all times
To treat you as an individual and to discuss with you the care and treatment we can provide
To give you full information on the services we offer
To give you the most appropriate care by suitably qualified staff
To provide you with emergency care when you need it
When necessary, to refer you to a consultant who is acceptable to you
To give you access to your health records, subject to any limitation in the law
To afford you confidentiality and privacy
To give you the right to decide if you want to be involved in medical research or student training

To treat all the staff of Forest Hill Road Group Practice with respect and courtesy at all times. In keeping with the rest of the NHS, this practice operates a 'zero tolerance' policy with respect to the protection of all its staff. This means that anyone who is violent or abusive in any way (including on the telephone) to anyone on the practice premises may be removed from the practice list with immediate effecte. Extreme cases will result in the incident being reported to the Police.
To tell us if you are unsure about the treatment we are offering you
To ask for a home visit only when the patient is unable to attend the practice through illness or infirmity
To request such a visit if at all possible before 10.00am
To ask for an out-of-hours visit or attend a treatment centre only when necessary
To keep your appointments and contact the practice in advance if you cannot
To be punctual for appointments and to make a separate appointment for each member of the family wishing to see the doctor
To take medicines according to the instructions and to only ask for a repeat prescription if you need one
To let us know when you change your address or phone number
To be patient if the doctor is delayed for any reason