New Patient Charter: “You and Your General Practice”
Important News for Our Patients
As of October 1st, 2025, all GP practices in England are required to publish the new patient charter, “You and Your General Practice.”
This document, introduced by NHS England, is designed to help you understand what to expect from our practice and how you can work with us to get the best care possible.
The charter outlines your rights and responsibilities as a patient, and it is a key part of the new GP contract for 2025/26. It aims to improve transparency and communication between our practice team and you.
GPs and their practice teams provide the vast majority of NHS care outside of hospitals, supporting you and your family throughout your lives.
In a perfect world, we want to be able to offer every patient the following:-
Safety – prompt access to a GP or practice nurse you trust, with well-staffed surgeries and enough resource so that no patient feels left behind.
Stability – a family doctor who knows you, your medical history, and your community – without the stress and difficulty of finding it difficult to get an appointment.
Hope for the future – care that focuses on keeping you well, not just treating illness. We want more time for meaningful consultations, joined-up support closer to your home, from modern GP surgery premises with safe and effective technology to make this possible.
The government talks of “bringing back the family doctor” but what is promised is often not properly funded to be able to be delivered in reality.
Access to care and how we handle your request
- We aim to respond to all appointments and advice requests promptly, prioritising those most in need. Sometimes we may need to offer you an appointment on another day or direct you to another suitable service.
- For safety reasons, urgent medical requests cannot be accepted via our online system. For something urgent, call the practice.
- The need to prioritise urgent cases to keep patients safe can result in longer waiting times for routine/non-urgent appointments.
- The new requirement to allow patients unlimited online access for non- urgent medical requests, throughout core hours, makes it more likely that we will have no choice but to create hospital-style waiting lists to meet patient need.
We want to guide you through the NHS, co-ordinate your care, and support you to stay healthy. We want every patient to feel safe and confident in their GP practice – now and in the future.
Your Rights
The charter reaffirms your right to be treated with dignity and respect by all our staff. It also outlines your rights regarding registration (you do not need ID or a permanent address), receiving a response to your health queries, and getting extra help such as interpreters or longer appointments if needed.
Your Responsibilities
To help us provide the best service, the charter asks for your cooperation. This includes treating our staff with respect, being on time for your appointments, and cancelling appointments as soon as possible if you no longer need them.
Feedback and Concerns:
The document explains how you can share feedback or raise concerns with the practice, your local Healthwatch, or the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
The Challenges Your Practice Face
- Rising demand, fewer GPs – GPs care for 17% more patients than in 2015, but with fewer GPs.
- Practice closures – Around 2,000 practices have closed since 2010 (1 in 4 surgeries).
- Funding pressures – (the practice receives limited funds per patient; for example, BMA guidance notes an average of around 31p per patient per day to deliver GP services).
- Workforce challenges – More GPs leaving than joining; recruitment is difficult due to funding.
- Unsafe workloads – Many GPs see more than the safe limit of patients per day, often over 60 hours/week. the safe working limit of 25 patient contacts per day per GP is a figure that’s been cited in guidance: The British Medical Association (BMA) has recommended that 25 patient contacts per day should be considered the safe limit for GPs, to protect both patient safety and clinician wellbeing. This is echoed by several European bodies, including the European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO) and the European Society of General Practice, who have raised similar concerns about unsafe workloads when GPs routinely exceed this number. The principle is that once a GP regularly exceeds 25 patient contacts per day, there is risk of errors.
- Access versus continuity – Government policy often prioritizes speed over continuity of care
- Demand management – Urgent cases prioritized, which may lengthen waits for routine appointments.
These challenges are part of the broader NHS system and are not due to any negligence by the practice. The practice aims to provide the best possible care within these constraints.
How to view the charter:
You can read the full “You and Your General Practice” document by clicking on the link below. The charter is also available on the NHS England website in multiple languages.
NHS England » You and your general practice – English
We encourage all our patients to read this important charter to understand how we can best work together to support your health and well-being.
Important Disclaimer
This charter is provided for information purposes only. It is not a legally binding document, does not create any contractual obligations, and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of service. Services are delivered under the NHS contract and follow NHS, BMA, and LMC guidelines. The charter aims to improve transparency and communication between the practice and our patients, helping everyone understand what to expect while acknowledging that operational and system constraints may affect service delivery. The 31p and 25 patient contact figures are provided for context only and reflect BMA and European guidance; they do not imply any limitation on care provided.
You and Your General Practice is a national guide on what you can expect from your GP surgery. It also explains what you can do to get the best from the NHS