You and Your GP

At PSM Medical Group, we aim to provide safe, effective and respectful care to all our patients. Good healthcare works best when patients and their GP practice work together.

NHS England has published You and Your General Practice, a guide explaining what you can expect from your GP practice and how you can help us provide the best possible care.

Read the full NHS England guide: You and Your General Practice

What you can expect from us

We will:

• Treat you with respect – treating patients fairly, kindly and with dignity.
• Respond to your requests – when you contact us about an appointment or another healthcare need, we will assess your request and let you know the appropriate next steps.
• Provide appropriate care – your request will be assessed so that we can determine the most appropriate way to help you. This may include an appointment, telephone contact, advice or signposting to another suitable service.
• Respect your individual needs – please tell us if you need additional support or reasonable adjustments to access our services.
• Listen to your feedback – we welcome feedback and take concerns seriously, using them where appropriate to help improve our services.

How you can help us

You can help us provide a safe and efficient service for everyone by:

• Being prepared – think about your symptoms, concerns and any questions you would like to discuss before your appointment.
• Being on time – arrive promptly for appointments and be available at the agreed time for telephone consultations.
• Cancelling appointments you no longer need – let us know as soon as possible so that the appointment can be offered to another patient.
• Treating our staff respectfully – our team is here to help you, and we expect all interactions to be courteous and respectful.
• Keeping your contact details up to date – particularly your telephone number and email address, so that we can contact you when necessary.
• Using online services where appropriate – our website and the NHS App can help you access information and manage aspects of your healthcare.

Appointments and access to care

Please contact us through our usual channels if you need medical advice or an appointment. We will assess your request and determine the most appropriate next step, taking account of your needs and the urgency of your condition.

Not every request will require a face-to-face GP appointment. Depending on your circumstances, we may offer a telephone consultation, an appointment with another appropriate member of our healthcare team, advice or referral to another service.

If you believe your problem is urgent, please make this clear when contacting us. Online forms should not be used for medical emergencies. If you think someone is experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 999.

Feedback, concerns and complaints

We value feedback about your experience at PSM Medical Group. If you have a suggestion, compliment or concern, please contact the practice so that we can consider it and respond appropriately.

If you wish to make a formal complaint, please follow our usual complaints procedure. You can also seek independent support or raise concerns through your local Healthwatch or NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Working together

We want our patients to receive appropriate care and to have a positive experience when using our services. By working together, communicating clearly and treating each other with respect, we can help make the best use of the healthcare services available to our community.

Thank you for helping us provide a service that works for everyone.