Public Consultation on Revision of Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities

The Scottish Government want to hear from you in order to make sure that the updated Charter is as clear and accessible as possible.

Under law, Scottish Ministers need to publish a Charter which tells patients and members of the public who use NHS services in Scotland their rights and responsibilities.

The Charter is an information document which lets you know the services you can expect to receive from the NHS in Scotland, and the way you can expect to be treated.
It also tells you what the NHS in Scotland expects of you in return; to help it work well for everyone in Scotland.

The Charter does not introduce any new rights and responsibilities.

The Charter is currently being updated to make sure it works the way it should for everyone in Scotland.

Sessions with members of the public
The Scottish Government is looking for the public’s help with the Charter to make sure they are telling you about your rights and responsibilities in a way that you can understand. They also want to hear your ideas about how we can increase the awareness of the Charter so that people can access the Charter when they need it.

Taking part and how your feedback will be used
Members of the Scottish Government team that is working on this are holding an event for ALLIANCE members. The session will consist of two parts.

Firstly, they would like you to seek your views on the language of the Charter and how clear and accessible the information is. The second part will ask you about how to promote and raise awareness of the revised Charter to members of the public.

Following the workshops, your feedback will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help the Scottish Government prepare the Charter for publication and promotion in the Summer 2019.

The session will last for approximately 3 hours, refreshments and lunch will be provided.

The revised Charter will be published online and will also be available for download from Scottish Government and NHS Inform websites. Copies will also be available from Health Boards.

For more detailed information about the law and the Charter, visit the Scottish Government website.

For more details contact