Dudley GP Practice Charter

Our Charter

  • Our charter is a statement of what you can expect from the practice.
  • Our charter has been developed in consultation with patients and general practice(s) across Dudley borough.
  • Our charter is endorsed and reviewed by Healthwatch Dudley; an organisation that exists to ensure that the patient voice is heard.

Our Commitments

  • We aim to provide our patients with the best possible care.
  • We will treat all patients equally.  We will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, gender identify, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
  • We will listen and involve our patients in providing services that respond to their needs.

Making an Appointment

  • We will plan the number of appointments we provide based on our appointment demand, and review this routinely to meet the needs of our patients.
  • We will ensure that patient needs are consistently assessed and prioritised allowing us to provide patients with the most appropriate care or other response, from the right member of the practice team, including signposting or referring patients to other appropriate services.
  • We will ensure that every patient will be assessed and prioritised according to need in the same way, regardless of whether contacting the practice by phone, online or in person.
  • We will provide a variety of options for advice and consultations including face to face, online, and over the telephone.
  • We will continuously review our online platforms, telephone systems, booking systems, websites to address patient need. 

Signposting

  • We recognise the important role our staff play in signposting to services of help, advocacy and support, which helps patients to feel empowered to take action to support their own health and wellbeing and in turn improves access to primary care services. We will provide clear accessible explanations and examples of signposting to other services, including NHS 111, emergency information, pharmacy services, mental health numbers, and other relevant resources.
  • We will ensure that the practice is making best use of social prescribers i.e. staff who have access to a directory of health, social and voluntary sector services within Dudley to best meet patient need.
  • Commitment to share information on other services and practice staff roles through a number of avenues such as practice newsletter, practice information screens, social media, posters etc.

Digital Services

  • We will offer and promote to our patients (and those acting on their behalf) the following:
    • an online consultation tool.
    • a secure electronic communication method.
    • an online facility to provide and update personal or contact information.
  • We are committed to ensuring that all of our patients can access and utilise our digital services should they wish too.
  • We are committed to ensuring that are staff are trained and have the necessary skills to support patients to access programmes such as the Black Country Connected Programme[i] .
  • For those who are unable to use digital services we will work with you to find alternatives.

The Practice Website

  • We are committed to developing a website not to simply display information, but to provide an area where patients can interact and complete tasks for example:
  • Request or cancel an appointment.
  • Get a repeat prescription.
  • Get a sick note for work.
  • Get test results.
  • Register with/join the practice.
  • Get the practice phone number.
  • Find out the practice opening times.
  • Find the practice address.
  • The ability to provide feedback on patient experience.
  • Online forms (provided via ‘online consultation tools’) should be available via the practice website or via tools like the NHS App to provide an easy route for patients to explain what they need and to request support.

Health Inequalities

  • We are committed to identifying and providing services that support and help us to provide equitable services to all our patients, with the aim of reducing health inequalities related to access.

Language and Communication Barriers

  • We are committed to ensuring that patients are able to access primary care services in a way that ensures their language and communication requirements do not prevent them receiving the same quality of healthcare as others. This includes reasonable adjustments for a wide range of needs, including different languages, stroke recovery, Deaf/BSL users, learning disabilities, stammering, and other communication needs.

Longer Appointments

  • We are committed to reviewing and adjusting people’s appointment length if they need more time with a Doctor or Nurse to make sure they understand the information they are given.

Registration Rights and Eligibility Criteria

  • We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone can register with our practice without the need for ID or proof of address. We will make the registration process as simple, accessible and visible as possible, particularly for vulnerable groups such as those without a fixed address, refugees, and migrants.
  • We are dedicated to ensuring people who live within our boundary can register without the need for ID. We may ask for supporting documentation to ensure patients live within the area. Where people who live within the area, but do not have a fixed address, we will be flexible with supporting documentation required and will allow them to register using the practice address.
  • If we refuse to register a patient with the practice, we will provide a written explanation within 14 days.

Safer Surgeries

  • We are committed to addressing the particular barriers to primary care faced by migrants in vulnerable circumstances, including refugees and survivors of trafficking.
  • We are committed to registering and becoming a ‘safer surgery’ to ensure that everyone is able to access the healthcare they’re entitled to.

LGBTQ+ Friendly

  • We are committed to improving the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing primary care services recognising our commitment to LGBTQ+ excellence in healthcare in line with Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) guidelines.

Veterans

  • We are committed to supporting veterans healthcare and will work towards improving our identification and understanding of their needs and referring appropriately.

Training

  • We will ensure that our staff especially those who interact with patients, have the necessary skills and training to recognise and understand the importance of addressing health inequalities and are well prepared to identify and support patients facing barriers related to communication, literacy, and other challenges and support them with accessing primary care.

Working with Patients

  • We are committed to working with our patients to understand and respond to their needs.
  • We are committed to supporting and developing our Patient Participation Group (PPG) by actively involving patients in shaping our services. We will regularly update patients about upcoming PPG meetings and ensure feedback from the National Patient Survey and Friends and Family Test is shared and acted upon. Information about these meetings will be clearly displayed in communal areas and our website to encourage participation and engagement.

Working with Healthwatch Dudley

  • We recognise the value and importance of HealthWatch Dudley in gathering the views of the patients across Dudley on challenges and opportunities for practices to improve access.
  • We are committed to working with Healthwatch Dudley to better understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities to make improvements in access.
  • Contact details will be available for anyone who wishes to share their experiences or if they feel the charter’s points are not being upheld after addressing their concerns directly with the practice.
    • Healthwatch Dudley can be contacted on
      • Phone: 03000 111 001
      • Email: healthwatchdudley.co.uk
      • Website: www.healthwatchdudley.co.uk
      • Address: 7 Albion Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 3EE

Working with NHS England and the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB)

  • We recognise the value and importance of NHS England and the ICB who set the standards that we are required to meet.
  • We are committed to working with NHS England and the ICB to implement the national standards and requirements set for general practice.

Please also see our Patient Charter.