If you think an immediate visit is required, please tell the Patient Care Advisor. In cases of major injury or critical condition, it may be more appropriate to go directly to your local Casualty department. If an ambulance is required, dial 999.
It is normally best for a GP to see a patient at the Surgery. This is because they have full access to patient medical records and better facilities for both examination and treatment of any problems. However the Surgery does understand that some patients are genuinely unable to make the short journey into see a GP. Therefore the Surgery offers home visits in limited circumstances, normally where a patient is Terminally ill, Housebound and cannot be mobilised.
Home visits cannot be requested for convenience or lack of transport. Often neighbours, friends or relatives are willing to help out. It is the responsibility of the patient to take reasonable steps to visit the Surgery.
Our GP Practice is keen that we make the best use of our clinical staff allowing them to provide the most appropriate care to those most in need. For the vast majority of patients attending an appointment at the Surgery is the best option for them and for the Practice staff. Attending a surgery allows our clinical team to see many more patients in a day than if we are undertaking home visits. A doctor could see 4-6 other equally needy patients in the time it takes for a home visit.
Doctors are only able to consider home visits for medical reasons only
- If you think you qualify for a home visit, please ring before 10:30am, to allow the duty Doctor to plan their day
- A Doctor may call to assess the problem and your problem may be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a District Nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance. This also allows the Doctor to collect any information required for the visit. Please ensure you leave a current number to be contacted on
- All visits requested will be medically assessed to check if appropriate
- An Emergency Hospital Admission may be organised for the patient via the ambulance service without first seeing the patient, in cases where their medical condition make that course of action appropriate
- In the past, GPs were able to do routine follow up home visits. Sadly due to more patients needing to be seen this is no longer possible. If you think you may need a home visit we would kindly ask any patient who is mobile (including using a walking aid, wheelchair or scooter) to see us in the surgery. If you are poorly and think you need an urgent same day visit, please ring your request through to the Practice. Always provide a current landline/mobile number that the Doctor can reach you on. Home visits, whilst convenient for patients, actually offer a poorer standard of care compared to surgery consultations. This is because of:
- Poor facilities (e.g. poor lighting, lack of hygiene)
- Lack of records and chaperones (required for safe care and examination)The majority of consultations during home visit could easily and safely be carried out in the surgery.
Non-urgent home visits should be requested before 10:30 am on the day that they are required. The duty doctor always makes emergency visits each day. You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.