1. To be honest in all your dealings with our staff, clinical and non-clinical.

2. All staff and fellow service users must always be treated with courtesy and respect. We adopt a zero tolerance policy concerning abuse against our staff.

3. To use local community pharmacies and other self-care treatment options for minor ailments in the first instance and expect that you might be advised to do this by our staff where appropriate.

4. GP Direct has a diverse workforce, which includes several highly skilled clinical roles, besides GPs, this includes clinical pharmacists, nurses/nurse practitioners, physiotherapists and others. The practice will make a decision as to which clinician may be the most suitable to deal with your condition. Therefore, it is essential that you provide sufficient information to allow for our team to direct your case to the most appropriate person, whether you log your problem online or via our reception team.

5. To turn up promptly for your appointment and to be patient if you have to wait to see a clinician – don’t forget next time it could be your serious problem the clinician is devoting more time to. If you are unable to attend an appointment at the surgery, or to receive a telephone/video consultation remotely, please ensure you cancel it with as much notice as possible so someone else can use it.

6. As appointments have a time limit, try to restrict your problems to one or two per visit.

7. Unless you are housebound or too ill to travel, we would expect you to travel to the Surgery. We have better facilities to examine and investigate your problem at the Surgery than at your home.

8. Please do not unnecessarily use the urgent/walk-in centres/A&E or out of hour’s facilities. They are there for genuine urgent care only.

9. To think ahead when requesting repeat prescriptions, allowing at least two full working days for them to be processed. Last minute requests can lead to mistakes.

10. Controlled Drugs will be not be issued without speaking to a clinician. If an emergency supply is needed, a maximum of 3 days will be issued until the next available appointment with the clinician. Controlled Drugs will be closely monitored with no replacement for lost or misplaced medications. For newly registered patients being prescribed controlled drugs that are travelling abroad for any length of time, the practice will limit the supply of controlled drugs to a maximum of 4 weeks and only after speaking to a clinician.

11. It is your responsibility to follow up on test results such as blood tests or scans. If you do not hear from the practice about your test results, ensure you follow this up with the practice in a timely fashion. It is not practice policy to convey normal results, however you are able to access your own results via your online patient account

12. Notify us of any change of personal details, having up to date telephone, address and email details is vital. In particular, having an up-to-date phone number in your records is essential for communication by the practice. Teenagers may need to update their number when they come to an age where they require confidentiality from family members. This also applies to couples.

13. Please be aware of policies regarding private consultations and shared care prescribing at GP Direct. If you see a private consultant, they are responsible for arranging and explaining tests, procedures, and initial prescriptions. GPs may continue prescribing only after reviewing a detailed clinic letter from the consultant. However, certain medications, especially those requiring ongoing monitoring or outside NHS guidelines, may not be prescribed by the GP. Patients should be aware of possible costs and the process for transferring care back to the NHS.