The Hospital Patient's Charter

(Ministerial circular DGS/DH/95 n°22 dated 06/05/1995)

10 Key Principles

1. The public health service is accessible to all, in particular to the poorest in society.
2. The hospital guarantees to welcome patients and offer them high quality of care and treatment. It will attempt to relieve pain and distress as much as possible.
3. All patient information will be accessible, reliable and accurate, permitting patients to make an informed decision about their care.
4. No medical intervention will take place without the informed consent of the patient.
5. Specific consent will be sought for patients participating in medical trials, for organ donation and use and for screening tests. (Laws n°94-653 et 94-654 dated 29/07/1994 on bioethics).
6. Patients are free to leave the hospital at any time, unless they are constrained by law, but must be informed of any risks that they might incur.
7. All patients and their beliefs will be treated with respect. Their privacy and right to peace and quiet will also be respected.
8. Respect for life is guaranteed to all patients within the hospital, as is medical confidentiality concerning information divulged to staff.
9. All patients may have access to the contents of their medical file, particularly medical information by the intermediary of a doctor of their choice.
10. All patients are invited to express their opinions about the care offered by the hospital services, and have the right to demand damages if they consider that they have been injured by the service.

Medical confidentiality

Certain data collected during a patient's stay may be subject to statistical and computer processing following national standards and guidelines; the patient has the right to refuse the use of this data. The 'IT and Freedoms' Law, (la Loi Informatique et Libertés) allows patients to have access to any data concerning them and to make corrections if necessary. Note that any communication of a patient's dossier may only take place through the intermediary of a doctor that the patient has specifically designated.