Patient Rights & Responsibilities

General Practice Patient Charter (RACGP)

Everyone who seeks or receives care in Australia has rights as well as responsibilities. The Royal Australian College of General Practioners’ (RACGP) General Practice Patient Charter explains your rights and responsibilities in relation to the care and treatment you receive from your GP in a general practice setting.

You have the right to:

  • Access timely healthcare, with support from your family/carer/support person when you need it.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Advise of any changes to your information.
  • Attend, or notify the clinic when you cannot attend, your appointments.
  • Understand you may need to wait for attention/treatment if staff are seeing another patient.
  • Accept that some services may not be available at the practice.

You have the right to:

  • A safe, secure and supportive healthcare environment.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Let your GP know about changes to your health.
  • Talk about any concerns you have about your health/healthcare.
  • Tell your GP if you are having difficulty understanding/following treatment advice.
  • Tell your GP if you have any situation that could negatively impact your health.
  • Give your GP as much information as possible about your health, past illnesses, allergies and any other important details.

You have the right to:

  • An environment that respects your rights and healthcare needs – you receive care that respects your culture, beliefs, values, and characteristics like age, abilities, gender, sexuality, marital and career status.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Treat general practice staff and visitors (including other patients) with respect.
  • Let your GP know if you have specific needs, including those about your culture and beliefs, so that they can respond appropriately.

You have the right to:

  • Be included in decisions and choices about your care. 

You have the responsibility to:

  • Listen, and ask your GP for more information if there is something you don’t understand about your treatment.
  • Discuss any potentials benefits/risks of medical treatments with your GP before giving consent.
  • Supply a copy of any legal documents relevant to your care (e.g. Advanced Care Directives, Enduring Power of Attorney etc).
  • Tell your GP if you want a second medical opinion.

You have the right to:

  • Open, two-way communication – You receive timely and clear advice about your healthcare, including the practice’s waiting times and costs.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Be as open and honest as you can.
  • Ask questions to check your understanding.
  • Ask for a professional interpreter if you don’t speak/understand English very well.
  • Bring a support person, if needed. 

You have the right to:

  • Privacy and confidentiality of your personal information.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Understand that at times your GP may need to share information about your health with other health professionals.
  • Tell practice staff if your personal information is incorrect/incomplete.

You have the right to: 

  • Comment on your care and have your concerns addressed. 

You have the responsibility to:

  • Talk to your GP or the practice manager if you have any questions/concerns.
  • Try to solve any problems with your GP directly.
  • Give feedback in a respectful way.

Rights & Responsibilities