It’s Your Practice: A patient guide to GP services has been put together by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) for patients. 

This guide has been produced as part of the RCGP’s aim to build stronger relationships between you and your doctors and encourage the involvement and inclusion of you in your own care.

The guide provides helpful information on all aspects of using GP services: from finding and choosing a practice and how to get the most out of a GP consultation to accessing health records and understanding patients’ rights and responsibilities.

It is split into several sections including:

• General Practice explained
• Choosing the right practice for you
• Registering with a GP practice
• Seeing your GP – consultations
• Seeing your GP – the next steps
• After your GP consultation
• Your health record
• Your rights and responsibilities as a patient
• Get involved with your practice

The publication is part of a push by the NHS as a whole to encourage you to understand how you can get the most out of primary care – which also includes how you can become more involved in monitoring your own health.

For further information, click here to download A Patient Guide to GP Services.

The Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities

The Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities summarises the existing rights and responsibilities of people who use NHS services and receive NHS care in Scotland.

The act gives everyone the right to receive healthcare that:

• considers their needs;
• considers what would most benefit their health and wellbeing; and
• encourages them to take part in decisions about their health and wellbeing, and gives them the information and support to do so.

It also gives patients a right to give feedback and make comments, and raise concerns or complaints about the care they have received.

Additionally, the charter explains what is expected of you when using the NHS in Scotland.

Some of your responsibilities are set out in law. Others are what everyone is expected to do to help the NHS work effectively in Scotland and to help make sure it uses its resources responsibly.

The charter supports the principle of mutual respect – that is, everyone who uses and provides NHS services has a right to be treated as an individual and with consideration, dignity and respect.

The information in the charter is divided into the following areas:

• Accessing and using NHS services in Scotland: your rights when using NHS health
  services.
• Communication and involving you: your rights to be informed about your
  healthcare and services and to be involved in decisions about them.
• Privacy and confidentiality: your rights to privacy and to have your personal
  health information protected.
• Feedback, complaints and my rights: your rights to have a say about your
  treatment or care and to have any concerns and complaints dealt with.

For further information, click here to download the full Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.