Our practice is committed to providing safe, respectful, accessible and high quality care to every patient.
Your rights
You can expect:
- To be treated with dignity, kindness, courtesy and respect, regardless of
your age, background, beliefs, disability, gender, sexual orientation or
personal circumstances - Care that is safe, appropriate, evidence-based and focused on your
individual needs - To be involved in decisions about your health and treatment, with clear
explanations of your options - Information about your condition, treatment, medicines, referrals and test
results in a way you can understand - Your privacy and confidentiality to be respected, in accordance with
applicable law - Reasonable access to appointments and appropriate services
- To request communication support, including an interpreter or accessible
information where available - To have a chaperone offered where appropriate
- To raise concerns, provide feedback or make a complaint without affecting
your future care - To request access to your health records, subject to legal requirements
- To be informed if there are significant delays, changes to services or
problems affecting your care
Your responsibilities
To help us provide effective care, we ask you to:
- Treat staff and other patients with courtesy and respect
- Provide accurate and complete information about your symptoms,
medical history, medicines and allergies - Attend appointments on time, or cancel as early as possible if you cannot
attend - Please bring one problem per appointment. If you have a list, it is likely you
will be asked to make a further appointment - Use emergency services appropriately and contact the practice through
the correct channel, follow agreed treatment plans and ask questions if
you do not understand them - Inform us of changes to your contact details, personal circumstances or
communication needs - Respect practice policies and the confidentiality and privacy of others
- Avoid abusive, threatening, discriminatory or violent behaviours. Such
behaviour will NOT be tolerated
Appointments and access
We will:
- Offer appointments according to clinical need
- Home visits are available for housebound patients and those too unwell to
come to the surgery. These will be assessed by a doctor first who may call
you in advance to determine clinical urgency. Home visits should be
requested no later than 11am if possible - Respond to urgent requests as promptly as possible
- Provide information about how to access care outside normal opening
hours - Aim to keep waiting times reasonable and explain unavoidable delays
- Offer remote consultations when clinically appropriate and suitable for the
patient
Confidentiality and information
Your personal information will be handled securely and only shared when:
- You have given permission
- It is necessary to provide or coordinate your care with other health
colleagues - There is a legal requirement
- Sharing is necessary to protect you or someone else from serious harm
Feedback and complaints
We welcome feedback because it helps us to improve. If you are unhappy with
any aspect of your care:
- Speak to a member of the practice team where possible
- Contact the practice manager to make a formal complaint
- Ask for information about the relevant independent complaints or advocacy service if your concern cannot be resolved
All complaints will be handled fairly, sensitively and confidentially
Our commitment
We will review this charter regularly with patients and staff to ensure that it
reflects the needs of our practice community and supports continuous
improvement
St Mary’s Medical Centre
August 2026