Patients requiring a home visit should submit a Get help from the Practice request. Your request will be acknowledged and responded to on the same day. 

All requests for visits must be received by 10:00.

Please note that a member of our healthcare team may telephone you rather than visiting you at home if it is medically appropriate. 

Due to an increase in patient numbers and demand, we are no longer able to provide a service which is over and above that which we are contracted to provide, i.e providing home visits for patients who do meet the contractual requirements as set out by NHS England. 

Home visits are extremely time consuming; in the time taken to carry out one home visit, 3-4 patients can be seen at the practice.

Home visits are strictly for patients who fall into the following categories:

• Terminally ill
• Housebound
• Patients who are severely ill in bed

The following are not reasons for the practice to provide a home visit:

• Transport issues for the patient – it is not the responsibility of the practice to arrange transport, or to provide a home visit because the patient has difficulty arranging transport. In these circumstances patients should seek transport help from relatives, friends or taxi firms. This is non-clinical.
• Childcare issues for a patient – if a patient has difficulty arranging for someone to care for their children whilst attending appointments, the patients are welcome to bring their children with them to the practice. This is non-clinical
• Poor mobility – whilst it is understood and recognised that having poor mobility is inconvenient and unpleasant, GP practices are designed with this in mind, having lift access and disabled toilets.
• An unwell child – it is in the best interest for the child to attend the surgery where they can be properly assessed and treated. The GP can make a more informed clinical judgement when seeing the child in surgery.

This policy is based on the GMS/PMS contract and BMA guidelines.

Care Homes

Care homes should also visit our Consulting Room and submit a request for any patient requiring a GP visit within their care home. 

All requests for visits must be received by 10:30. Please submit a separate request for each resident requiring a visit.

Care home residents are no different to patients in their own homes and therefore the need to visit should be based upon clinical need, not the availability of transport or staff to attend with the patient. It is the responsibility of the care home to make transport available for residents to enable them to travel to their medical and non-medical appointments.

For routine appointment requests, please complete our Request an Appointment form.