Practice Charter, You and Your General Practice, NHS Constitution & PALS
Patient Charter
- You will be treated with courtesy and respect by all Practice personnel.
- An urgent appointment with a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Prescriber will be available on the same day.
- Our standard is to see all patients within 20 minutes of their appointment time. If you have waited longer than this please ask the Receptionist for an explanation.
- We aim to answer the telephone within six rings.
- Requests for repeat prescriptions will be dealt with within 48 hours.
- All comments and suggestions about the service are welcome. Please use the box provided in the waiting area.
- If you have a complaint please speak to any member of staff. Your complaint will be dealt with in a professional and efficient manner.
- We wish to make the Swineshead Medical Group as accessible as possible. If you have hearing, visual or physical difficulties please let the receptionist know so that we can enable you to fully use our services.
- All patients are treated fairly; treatments, services and advice are offered to patients based on individual needs and circumstances
Patient’s Rights to General Medical Services
- To be offered a health check on joining a doctor’s list for the first time.
- To have appropriate drugs and medicine prescribed.
- To be referred to a Consultant acceptable to them when they and their GP thinks it is necessary, and to be referred for a second opinion if they and their GP think it is advisable.
- To have access to their health records, subject to any limitations of the law, and to know that those working for the NHS are under a legal duty to keep those records confidential.
- To choose whether to take part in research or medical student training.
- To receive a copy of their doctors practice leaflet, setting out the services that he or she provides.
- To receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints they make about the care they receive at the Swineshead Medical Group.
Our aims are to offer the highest standard of health care and advice to our patients, with the resources available to us. We have a team approach to patient care and endeavour to monitor the service provided to patients, to ensure that it meets current standards of excellence. We are dedicated to ensuring that Practice staff and Doctors are trained to the highest level and to provide a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work.
Patient’s Responsibilities
- If you are unable to attend for an appointment please let us know so that we can offer it to someone else.
- If you are late for your appointment you may be asked to re-book at another time. Try to let us know in advance if you are going to be unavoidably delayed, so that we can make alternative arrangements to help you.
- A home visit should only be requested for those who are unable to come to the surgery because of serious illness or infirmity.
- An urgent appointment is for an urgent medical problem. Please speak to the Receptionist if you require a sick note or repeat prescription.
- We would ask you to be patient if the Doctor is running late. This is often due to unforeseeable emergencies but please ask for an explanation from the Receptionist.
- Make a separate appointment for each patient that needs to be seen. This allows the Doctor enough time to treat each patient with the time that they deserve.
- Please act in a responsible and courteous manner whilst on the Practice premises for the safety and comfort of others.
- Please treat all surgery staff, fellow patients, carers and visitors politely and with respect. Violence or verbal harassment will not be tolerated or accepted, you may be asked to register at another surgery if this behaviour occurs.
You and Your General Practice
These guidelines are designed to support practices through the implementation of You and Your General Practice (YYGP), which was introduced and agreed as part of the 2025/26 GP contract.
You and Your General Practice describes what practices and patients can expect of each other. Patients are encouraged to be on time, be prepared, and avoid wasted appointments by cancelling early. Patients can ask to be supported by general practices in a variety of ways (for example, by making reasonable adjustments). You and Your General Practice also describes how patients and their representatives can give feedback or raise concerns.
GP practices are required to have shared a link to the NHS England YYGP document on their practice website home page no later than 1 October 2025. Practices may also wish to link to their integrated care board’s (ICB’s) contact information from their websites. YYGP will also be made available in different languages on the NHS England website.
Practices will generally be the first point of contact for patients providing feedback or expressing concerns. A nominated lead (for example, the practice manager or another member of the practice team) should provide a liaison point to ensure appropriate follow up on any concern or feedback. Patients (and their representatives) will also be able to provide feedback or raise concerns about their practice directly with Healthwatch or the ICB. Healthwatch may share intelligence with ICBs on any issues raised with them.
If a practice feels that a concern raised needs to be managed as a complaint, this should be fed back to the person raising the issue and handled through the practice’s existing complaints processes.
All feedback is welcome. Feedback and concerns provide opportunities for learning, improvement and developing best practice. It can improve job satisfaction and motivation. Where appropriate, feedback should always be shared with staff. The comments received and any resulting actions should be documented because practices and ICBs may wish to discuss this information as part of routine review and audit processes. Practices may also wish to discuss feedback and themes with their patient participation groups. Similarly, ICBs may find it helpful to share identified trends with practices and PCNs.
Practices may wish to monitor recurring themes in feedback and concerns – such as access, quality, or safety – and record the following:
- the date and method by which the feedback or concern was received
- the type of feedback or concern, along with a short description
- the outcome, including whether further action is required
- any resulting service improvements linked to the feedback or concern
Publication reference: PRN01907
NHS Constitution
Principles that guide the NHS
Seven key principles guide the NHS in all it does. They are underpinned by core NHS values which have been derived from extensive discussions with staff, patients and the public. These values are set out in the next section of this document.
1. The NHS provides a comprehensive service, available to all
It is available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status. The service is designed to improve, prevent, diagnose and treat both physical and mental health problems with equal regard. It has a duty to each and every individual that it serves and must respect their human rights. At the same time, it has a wider social duty to promote equality through the services it provides and to pay particular attention to groups or sections of society where improvements in health and life expectancy are not keeping pace with the rest of the population.
2. Access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay
NHS services are free of charge, except in limited circumstances sanctioned by Parliament.
3. The NHS aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism
It provides high quality care that is safe, effective and focused on patient experience; in the people it employs, and in the support, education, training and development they receive; in the leadership and management of its organisations; and through its commitment to innovation and to the promotion, conduct and use of research to improve the current and future health and care of the population. Respect, dignity, compassion and care should be at the core of how patients and staff are treated not only because that is the right thing to do but because patient safety, experience and outcomes are all improved when staff are valued, empowered and supported.
4. The patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does
It should support individuals to promote and manage their own health. NHS services must reflect, and should be coordinated around and tailored to, the needs and preferences of patients, their families and their carers. As part of this, the NHS will ensure that in line with the Armed Forces Covenant, those in the armed forces, reservists, their families and veterans are not disadvantaged in accessing health services in the area they reside. Patients, with their families and carers, where appropriate, will be involved in and consulted on all decisions about their care and treatment. The NHS will actively encourage feedback from the public, patients and staff, welcome it and use it to improve its services.
5. The NHS works across organisational boundaries
It works in partnership with other organisations in the interest of patients, local communities and the wider population. The NHS is an integrated system of organisations and services bound together by the principles and values reflected in the Constitution. The NHS is committed to working jointly with other local authority services, other public sector organisations and a wide range of private and voluntary sector organisations to provide and deliver improvements in health and wellbeing.
6. The NHS is committed to providing best value for taxpayers’ money
It is committed to providing the most effective, fair and sustainable use of finite resources. Public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to the benefit of the people that the NHS serves.
7. The NHS is accountable to the public, communities and patients that it serves
The NHS is a national service funded through national taxation, and it is the government which sets the framework for the NHS and which is accountable to Parliament for its operation. However, most decisions in the NHS, especially those about the treatment of individuals and the detailed organisation of services, are rightly taken by the local NHS and by patients with their clinicians. The system of responsibility and accountability for taking decisions in the NHS should be transparent and clear to the public, patients and staff. The government will ensure that there is always a clear and up-to-date statement of NHS accountability for this purpose.
Patients Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
You may approach PALS for help or advice at any time; PALS provides confidential, practical advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns you may have about the care you receive from the NHS.
Tel: 0300 123 9553Email: info