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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.