Patient Charter

At your Practice we are dedicated to providing high-quality, safe, and compassionate healthcare to all our patients. We strive to offer you standards set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), ensuring your experience with us is positive, respectful, and centred around your needs.

Our responsibilities to you

We are committed to providing safe, appropriate and respectful care and to treating patients fairly and with dignity.

Names and staff identification

• On request, members of the team involved in your care will identify themselves and explain how you can contact the practice.

Appointments and waiting times

• We operate an appointment system. We will advise you of your appointment time and, where possible, keep you informed if a clinician is running late. If you have any queries, please speak to reception.
• We aim to provide access to the appropriate clinician according to your clinical needs and the availability of appointments.
• Where clinically appropriate, you may be offered an appointment with an available clinician rather than a particular clinician.
• Emergency and immediately necessary care will be assessed and managed in accordance with the applicable requirements and clinical judgement. Home visits will be arranged where a GP considers them clinically appropriate.

Access and contacting the practice

• You can contact the practice by telephone, in person and through our available online services.
• Our online consultation facility is available during core hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries and administrative requests, subject to appropriate safeguards.
• Urgent or emergency medical concerns should not be submitted through a routine online consultation facility. Please telephone the practice triage service.
• We will assess requests and direct them to the appropriate service or clinician according to their nature and urgency.

Telephone calls

• We aim to answer telephone calls promptly and maintain appropriate staffing arrangements.
• Telephone calls may be recorded for quality, training and other legitimate purposes, in accordance with applicable data-protection requirements.

Test results

• Results will be reviewed and acted upon in accordance with clinical requirements.
• Where a result requires follow-up, we will take appropriate steps to arrange further assessment, investigation or treatment.
• Patients may contact the practice to ask about their results. The appropriate clinician can explain their significance and any necessary next steps.

Respect and involvement

• Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race or other protected characteristics.
• We will aim to communicate clearly, listen to patients' concerns and involve them in decisions about their care.
• Relevant treatment options and advice will be explained where appropriate, taking account of the patient's circumstances and clinical needs.
• Patients are encouraged to ask questions and tell us about any concerns or difficulties affecting their treatment.

Information

• We will provide information about the services we offer and explain relevant arrangements for accessing care.
• We will make reasonable efforts to provide information that directly affects your health and the care being offered.

 

Your responsibilities to us

We ask patients to:

• Inform us promptly if their name, address, telephone number or other relevant contact details change.
• Attend appointments and notify us as early as possible if unable to attend.
• Allow reasonable time for information requested from hospitals and other external organisations to reach the practice.
• Take an active role in their own health and, where applicable, the health of their children or dependants.
• Consider and follow clinical advice and discuss any concerns, side effects or difficulties with treatment with an appropriate healthcare professional.
• Attend clinically necessary medication reviews, blood tests and monitoring appointments so that treatment can be prescribed safely.
• Use emergency services appropriately and seek urgent help when necessary.
• Treat practice staff and other patients courteously and respectfully.

We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate patients' individual circumstances and communication needs. Appointment availability and clinical urgency may mean that an appointment is offered with a suitable available clinician rather than the patient's preferred clinician.

 

Patient information and medical records

Access to records

Patients can use available online services, including the NHS App where enabled, to access their medical records, order repeat prescriptions and use appointment services. Please ask reception for information about registration and access. All contents of the patient’s medical records are available on the App.  If the patient believes, this is not the case they may make an enquiry regarding this matter, and the practice will respond in a timely manner.

Consent and confidentiality

The practice respects patient confidentiality and handles personal and medical information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable legal and professional requirements.

Consent will be sought where required. However, consent is not the only lawful basis for accessing or using medical information. Information may be used for direct care and other legitimate purposes where there is an appropriate legal basis and the relevant confidentiality requirements are met.

Data protection

The practice maintains medical records in paper or electronic form as appropriate to support safe and effective care. Records are handled in accordance with applicable requirements concerning confidentiality, accuracy, security, retention and access.

For further information about data protection, please contact the Practice Manager.

Information sharing

Information about you will be treated confidentially. Where there is an appropriate lawful basis, relevant information may be shared when necessary:

• To provide or coordinate your medical treatment, including with hospital services, district nurses, community services and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
• To support other services where sharing is lawful and appropriate, taking account of consent requirements and any applicable confidentiality obligations.
• For safeguarding purposes, including where necessary to protect children or adults at risk.
• To meet legal obligations or other lawful public-interest requirements.

Where information is used for service planning, research or reporting, anonymised information may be used where appropriate. Information will be handled in accordance with applicable data-protection and confidentiality requirements.

Complaints, concerns and feedback

We welcome feedback and take concerns seriously. Patients may raise concerns without fear of unfair treatment.

• Concerns and complaints will be handled through the appropriate practice procedure.
• We will aim to acknowledge and respond within the applicable timescales and explain the outcome where appropriate.
• We will consider feedback to identify opportunities to improve the safety, quality and accessibility of our services.
• Patients may request a copy of the practice's complaints procedure from reception or consult the information published on our website.

For further information about what you can expect from general practice and how to raise concerns, please read NHS England's guidance, You and your general practice, available at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/you-and-your-general-practice/ 

Zero tolerance

Our staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment. Abusive, threatening, intimidating or violent behaviour towards staff or other patients will not be tolerated.

Where appropriate, incidents may be reported to the police or other relevant authorities. Any action taken will be proportionate and consistent with applicable NHS guidance and legal requirements.

This policy does not prevent patients from raising legitimate concerns, making complaints or seeking explanations about their care.

Scope of this Charter

This Charter summarises the standards patients can expect from Coventry Road Medical Centre and the responsibilities we ask patients to observe. It is not intended to reproduce every statutory provision, clinical guideline or internal procedure applicable to general practice.

The practice's contractual, professional, clinical and regulatory obligations continue to apply independently of this Charter. Individual clinical decisions will be made according to the patient's circumstances, clinical evidence, professional judgement and applicable requirements.

Further information: Please contact reception or the Practice Manager if you require information about the practice's services, policies or procedures.

Publication: This Charter is available on the Coventry Road Medical Centre website and on request from the practice.

Last reviewed: April 2026

Next review due: April 2027