The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have released a “one stop shop” guide to help patients get the most from their GP practice. The publication is part of a bigger push by the RCGP to encourage patients to understand how they can get the most out of primary care – which also includes how they can become more involved in monitoring their own health.

It’s Your Practice: A patient guide to GP services  is available free of charge and gives patients a diverse range of useful information - from choosing and registering with a surgery and understanding the different services that are available, through to making appointments and getting the most from your consultation.

Other sections provide clear guidance on how patients can access their health records; patient rights and responsibilities and how to can get involved in the running of your practice.

The differences in GP services across the four nations are highlighted, along with links to other organisations including the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers who can also provide support for patients.

Dr Clare Gerada, RCGP Chair,  said: “This guide sums up our philosophy of GPs working in partnership with patients to improve health. Patients tell us they want to know how to get more involved.  They want to know how to prepare for consultations; who does what and who they should be asking to see. I hope it will prove to be a very useful resource for patients across the UK.”

Click here to download a copy of the guide

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