Patient Rights and Responsibilities

As a Patient You have the Right

• See a doctor of the same gender wherever possible, if requested.
• A chaperone to be present during your consultation, if requested.
• Make decisions about your plan of care before and during treatment, when medically possible.
• Refuse a recommended treatment to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequences of your refusal.
• Receive a second opinion concerning the proposed procedure, if requested.
• Make healthcare decisions in advance – if you provide us with a copy of your advance directive, we will respect your wishes to the extent permitted by law.
• Decline or withdraw from at any time, any research study you are asked to participate in related to your illness. 
• Your refusal to participate will not affect your medical care.
• Receive information related to the Data Protection Act (1998) and have records pertaining to your medical care treated as confidential.
• Assistance from a patient representative (e.g. Patient Advice and Liaison Service orIndependent Complaints Advocacy Service) to resolve complaints or grievances regarding your treatment and request a review if your concern is not resolved to your satisfaction.
• Be fully informed if any part of the consultation is being used for training purposes and be given the opportunity to agree or refuse prior to the start of the consultation.

As a Patient You can Expect

• Care to be provided in a safe setting, by competent and committed staff.
• Considerate, respectful, and compassionate care regardless of your age, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or any physical or mental disability.
• Be addressed by your proper name or by a name that is preferable to you.
• Be told the names of the doctors, nurses and other healthcare team members directly involved in your care.
• Co-ordination of sign language or foreign language interpretation services if you need them.
• Information about your diagnosis, treatment, any expected results and the planned course of treatment, including an explanation of the procedures.
• Information on the risks and benefits of, or alternatives to, your treatment.
• Convenient and professional transfer to another facility when medically necessary.

As a patient You and/or Your Representative Responsibilities

• Provide all necessary personal information including your full name, address, home telephone number and date of birth.
• Provide complete and accurate information about your health.
• Ask questions when you do not understand what your doctor or other member of your healthcare team tells you about your diagnosis or treatment and work with them on your care plan.
• Inform your clinician if you anticipate problems in following prescribed treatment or if you are considering alternative therapies.
• Respect the clinicians right to have a chaperone present for any examination or procedure if it is considered appropriate. 
• Treat staff, other patients and visitors with courtesy and respect.
• Abide by the facility’s rules and regulations.
• Be on time for your appointments and notify us as soon as possible if you cannot keep your appointments. If you arrive more than ten minutes late for your appointment, you may be asked to re-book.
• Please note that there may be occasions when you or another patient will need a longer consultation. This will delay your consultation. Please take this into account when you are waiting because you may need a longer consultation at some time.
• Be considerate of noise levels, privacy, and safety
• Comply with policies to ensure the rights and comfort of all patients.
• Comply with the NO SMOKING policy in our facilities