If you think an immediate home visit is required, please tell the Receptionist. In cases of major injury or critical condition, it may be more appropriate to go directly to your local Hospital Accident & Emergency Department. If an Ambulance is required, dial 999.
Our GP Practice is keen to ensure that we make the best use of our clinical staff, allowing them to provide the most appropriate care to those most in need of it. For the vast majority of patients, attending an appointment at the Practice 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 at the Practice, in the time it takes to do one home visit.
- Doctors are only able to consider making a home visit if there is a medical reason for it
- If you think you qualify for a home visit, please ring the Surgery before 10:00am
- All home visit requests will be medically assessed to check if a home visit is appropriate
- The GP may telephone you prior to confirming a home visit; please ensure you leave with Reception a current mobile number that you can be contacted on
- You may be referred to the Community Carepoint Team who will visit on behalf of the GP
- 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.
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 home visit consultations could easily and safely be carried out in the Surgery.
You can also be visited at home by a Community Nurse if you are referred by your GP and, if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under 5 years of age, you are likely to be visited at home by a Health Visitor.
