Home Visits

Home Visits

We offer a more effective service when patients are able to attend the surgery, where your medical records are held and where equipment and facilities allow for a more thorough assessment. Several patients can usually be seen at the surgery in the time it takes to complete one home visit — so wherever possible, please attend in person.

A lack of transport is not usually accepted as a reason for a home visit. If transport is a barrier, please speak to us — we may be able to suggest alternatives.

When we do offer home visits

We visit patients who are:

• Housebound by their illness
• Likely to deteriorate if moved
• Terminally ill

How it works

If you request a home visit, a clinician will assess whether it's needed. Our staff will ask you for some information, including details of your illness — this is needed so the doctor can judge how urgent the visit is, and is treated in the strictest confidence. A clinician will then call you back for further details before a decision is made.

The NHS criteria we follow

Home visits are governed by NHS regulations, which state that a practice will provide services at a patient's home, outside the out-of-hours period, when — in light of the patient's medical condition — the doctor considers such services are needed and would most appropriately be delivered by means of a home visit.