Practice Commitment

• Providing a friendly, open and confidential service to all patients who attend our practice.
• Providing a convenient service with good parking, a clean environment and pleasant surroundings.
• Providing good clinical and nursing care and timely (acute and repeat) dispensing medication.
• Ensuring that patients are seen without unnecessary delay and emergencies are given priority.
• Treating all patients equally with dignity and respect.
• Serving patients with courtesy whether face-to-face, in their home or on the telephone.
• Supporting patients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and providing sufficient information to help them with their choices.
• Involving patients in their treatment and management care plan so that appropriate choices are made for them.
• Ensuring that communication with patients, their families and carers has been handled in the most professional and appropriate way.
• Keeping patients informed of our services, their rights and any other information which directly relates to them.
• Maintaining high standards and knowledge by staff who attend regular training sessions and keep up to date with NHS changes and guidelines.
• Monitoring and improving our systems to ensure that the practice activities are conducted in the best possible way.
• Maintaining an effective and constructive practice complaints procedure.
• Maintaining an open relationship with all patients so that they are listened to, which enables them to raise their issues or problems and share their views.
• Welcoming and considering suggestions from all patients on our services, to ensure that patients’ voices are heard.

Practice Expectations from Patients

• Be punctual and attend all appointments made with us, or cancel/re-arrange as necessary in plenty of time. 
• Make separate appointments if more than one member of the family needs to be seen or if there are several problems to discuss with the GP.
• Report to reception staff on arrival in order to be served.
• Respond in a positive way to questions asked by reception staff.  This will enable them to book the appropriate appointment for you.
• Only request a home visit when too ill and unable to attend the surgery.
• Make non-urgent enquiries later in the day if possible.  Our phone lines are very busy in the mornings.
• Be patient and bear with us when running late, particularly during open morning surgeries.  This delay may be due to another patient requiring additional time or dealing with an emergency. 
• Use our service responsibly and do not expect immediate treatment for non-urgent or routine conditions.
• Allow 48 hours – the required time – for processing of repeat prescription requests.  Please do not pressure Dispensary staff to process unauthorised medication requests.
• Appreciate the doctor’s time when requesting insurance/medical reports, health questionnaires and similar types of services.
• Keep us informed of any changes to name, address and telephone number immediately to ensure that we always have the correct contact details.

Please treat us with respect.  Staff members are prepared to serve patients to the best of their ability.  We ask for the same courtesy to all our staff in return.

Violence against our staff or other members of the public will not be tolerated at the Ingham Practice.