If you feel that you are too ill to get to the surgery and need to be seen by a doctor, please call before 11:00 if possible to request a visit. This is so that the day’s visits can be allocated and planned. Please provide accurate directions to help the doctor find your home.

The criteria for a home visit is as follows:

• Patient is too ill to travel , this will be assessed by the duty doctor.
• Patient is wheelchair bound and requires the assistance of more than one person to get in and out of vehicle
• Patient has a psychological condition that makes travel impossible for example severe dementia or agoraphobia. Such patients should not be able to go with family and friends either.
• has a physical condition that makes travel in a normal vehicle impossible – for example such patients should not be able to go out for meals with family and they will need an ambulance crew to take them to out patient appointment.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible for you to choose which GP will visit. Where possible, we accommodate requests but the decisions are made by the doctors based on who knows the patients best, the geographical locations of the patients and how many visits need to be carried out that day.

Please do not ask for a home visit if there is any way you can get to the surgery. The doctor can look after you better in the surgery. On average, in a rural area 5 patients can be seen in the surgery in the time it takes to do 1 home visit.

You may be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP.

You should 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.

Evidence suggests that if we provide a home visit to those patients who need it before midday, we can refer patients to hospital earlier, if necessary. This may ensure a better outcome for patients who are then likely to be seen earlier in the day and return home, if at all possible. This outcome will also provide a cost saving to the NHS.