Monday, September 06, 2010
   
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Standards of Care

Overall aims of the Practice

We shall continue to deliver a high standard of medical care, which we achieve by being a small, friendly practice, and maintaining a working environment and team spirit which allows everyone to give their best.

Availability of medical care
Routine appointments – within 2 working days.
Appointments for urgent matters – the same day at the next available surgery.
Medical emergency – attend within 20 minutes
Home visits – by request, for patients unable to attend surgery due to illness
Keeping to time
50% of  patients to be seen within 10 minutes of the given appointment time.
No more than 5% of patients to wait in excess of 30 minutes.
Patients to be informed if the current delay exceeds 20 minutes
Please help us to meet these standards by:-
Cancelling an appointment that you are unable to keep.
Making a separate appointment for each patient.
Attending your appointment punctually.
If you need an appointment longer than 10 minutes please advise when booking.
Telephone
A maximum of 2 calls needed to speak to the rota doctor or message-taker out of hours.
Telephone calls, on most occasions, to be answered in 6 rings. 
Practice Newsletters
These are produced at least twice a year, updating patients on Practice activities and the work of Friends of Old Mill, the Patient Volunteers Group.
Copying Letters for Patients
Old Mill Surgery supports offering patients copies of letters written about them, either by Dr Paul Hutchinson, the Nurse Practitioner or our Health Visitor which are sent to other NHS staff.  Any copy letter will be ready for collection from Reception within 6 working days.
Freedom of Information.
This practice operates in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
Please noteOld Mill Surgery operates a zero tolerance policy regarding any behaviour of a patient towards staff which is felt to be unacceptable, in accordance with the guidelines laid down by Torbay Care Trust.