{"id":3765,"date":"2025-01-09T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/?p=3765"},"modified":"2024-12-13T12:58:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T12:58:54","slug":"the-nhs-constitution-your-rights-as-a-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/2025\/01\/09\/the-nhs-constitution-your-rights-as-a-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"The NHS Constitution: Your Rights as a Patient"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The NHS Constitution: Your Rights as a Patient<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The NHS is guide by its Constitution. It&#8217;s combination of your rights as a patient, and the pledges the Health Service aims for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This quick guide sets out what this means for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"#rights\" style=\"background-color:#0072ce\">Your Rights<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"#principles\" style=\"background-color:#0072ce\">The NHS Principles<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rights\">Your Rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you use NHS services, it\u2019s important to know your rights. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/the-nhs-constitution-for-england\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/the-nhs-constitution-for-england\">NHS Constitution<\/a> has 7 key principles which guide everything it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Care<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You have the right to free healthcare. This includes seeing a GP, accessing hospital care, and, in some cases, <a href=\"http:\/\/digitalfirstgp.combase-gp-practice\/Resources\/prescriptions-charges-and-exemptions\/\">free prescriptions<\/a>. Everyone is treated equally, regardless of who they are or where they\u2019re from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Be Involved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You have a say in your care. Your doctor should explain your condition and the treatment options. If something isn\u2019t clear, you can ask questions. You can also make decisions about your care with your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The NHS works hard to keep you safe. If something goes wrong, the NHS must be honest about it. You have the right to know what happened and to receive an apology if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can <a href=\"http:\/\/digitalfirstgp.combase-gp-practice\/patients\/medical-records\/\">see your medical records<\/a>. If you think something is wrong in your records, you can ask for it to be corrected. You also have a right to information about how the NHS is run and how decisions are made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Make a Complaint<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re unhappy with the care you\u2019ve received, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/using-the-nhs\/about-the-nhs\/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/using-the-nhs\/about-the-nhs\/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs\/\">make a complaint<\/a>. The NHS must take your concerns seriously and respond to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Use Your Rights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To make the most of your rights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Speak up if you\u2019re unsure about your care.<\/li><li>Ask for a second opinion if needed.<\/li><li>Use the NHS website to learn more about your rights and services.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Support is Available<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need help understanding your rights, services like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/service-search\/other-health-services\/patient-advice-and-liaison-services-pals\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/service-search\/other-health-services\/patient-advice-and-liaison-services-pals\">PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)<\/a> are there to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NHS is here for everyone. Knowing your rights helps you get the best care possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"principles\">The Seven NHS Principles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The NHS follows seven key principles in everything it does. These are based on core values shaped by staff, patients, and the public.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Comprehensive Service<\/strong>: The NHS provides health services to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or background.<\/li><li><strong>Access Based on Need<\/strong>: Care is offered based on clinical need, not the ability to pay.<\/li><li><strong>High Standards of Care<\/strong>: The NHS is committed to providing safe, effective, and high-quality care.<\/li><li><strong>Patient-Centred Approach<\/strong>: Services are shaped around the needs, preferences, and involvement of patients.<\/li><li><strong>Equality and Fairness<\/strong>: The NHS aims to eliminate discrimination and reduce health inequalities.<\/li><li><strong>Efficient Use of Resources<\/strong>: The NHS uses taxpayer funds responsibly to provide the best possible care.<\/li><li><strong>Accountable to the Public<\/strong>: The NHS is transparent and accountable to patients, staff, and the community.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\">NHS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NHS Constitution explains your rights when using NHS services in England. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[326],"tags":[509,511,591,592],"class_list":["post-3765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-nhs-services","tag-your-views","tag-nhs-consitution","tag-general-practice"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 11:14:57","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3765"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3794,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions\/3794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalfirstgp.com\/base-gp-practice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}