Rights & Responsibilities

You have the right to:

• Receive health care on the basis of your clinical need, not on your ability to pay, your lifestyle or any other factor
• Be registered with a GP and be able to change your GP easily and quickly if you want to
• Consult the GP of your choice
• Get emergency medical treatment at any time through your GP or the Gloucestershire Out-of Hours Service, the emergency ambulance service and hospital accident and emergency departments
• Be referred to a consultant acceptable to you, when your GP thinks it is necessary, and to be referred for a second opinion if you and your GP agree this is desirable
• To choose whether or not you want to take part in medical research or medical student training
• Have any proposed treatment, including any risks involved in that treatment and any alternative, clearly explained to you before you decide whether to agree to it
• Have access to your health records, and to know that everyone working for the NHS is under a legal duty to keep your records confidential
• Have any complaint about NHS services (whoever provides them) investigated and to get a quick, full written reply
• Receive detailed information on local health services. This includes information on the standards of service you can expect, waiting times and on local GP services
• To be registered with a GP, and to change your GP easily and quickly
• Be offered a health check when you join a GP practice for the first time
• Ask for a health check if you are between 16 and 74 and have not seen your GP in the last three years
• Be offered a health check once a year in your GP’s surgery, or at your own home if you prefer if you are 75 or over
• To be prescribed appropriate drugs and medicines. If you are a pensioner, a child under 16 or under 19 in full- time education, pregnant or a nursing mother, suffering from one of a number of specified individual conditions, or on income support or family credit, you have a right to your medicines free
• Be told before you go into hospital whether it is planned to care for you in a ward for men and women, except in emergencies
• Decide which pharmacy to use for your prescriptions
• Receive information about the services your GP provides and to see on request a copy of your GP’s practice leaflet, which sets out this information.

It is your responsibility to:

• Let us know as soon as possible if you cannot keep an appointment
• Tell your doctor or hospital if you change your name, address or telephone number
• Return equipment when no longer required.
• Action that may be taken where a patient is violent or abusive to the partners, staff or other persons on the Practice Premises

A “Zero Tolerance” policy operates here. Any form of violent or threatening behaviour will not be accepted such as:

• Verbal abuse
• Threats of any sort
• Physical abuse or violence of any sort
• Any form of indecent behaviour

The police will AUTOMATICALLY be involved in any incident. Any incident that is getting close to the above, may result in a “YELLOW CARD” warning. This is a last chance to behave normally and any further incident will result in a “RED CARD”.

A “RED CARD” will be given to anyone who uses any form of violent behaviour, this will result in the following:

• Charges may be pressed resulting from the incident
• The patient will not be seen by any local Practice
• The patient will have to travel to Gloucester to the Vaughan Centre to receive any GP Services in secure conditions for staff
• The patient’s name will go on a list of potentially violent patients, which will be circulated, to all Health and Care Services, and the Police
• Members of the patient’s family will continue to receive normal health services, except that if a home visit is agreed, the Red Carded person must not be in the house at the time of the visit. Health Care Staff have a right to work in a safe environment, free from any threat or form of violence.