Home Visits

Non-urgent advice: Important:

Whilst we are happy to maintain the registration of patients outside of our catchment area, we are not be able to provide home visits.

Non-urgent advice: Emergency?

Chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness major injury are emergencies please dial 999

A Home visit is at the discretion of GPs on the basis of medical need assessment. A GP can also decide how urgently a visit is needed. You cannot insist that a GP visits you at home. A GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it.

Non-urgent advice: Home Visits are reserved for the following groups of patients:

Terminally ill; those who are at most clinical need

House/bedbound; those who are confined to bed and unable to leave the house with assistance

Patients who are severely ill and cannot be mobilised; those who are at most clinical need

Although a traditional part of general practice, home visits are time consuming. Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. Please help us to help you and our other patients by visiting the surgery whenever possible

We want to see patients as quickly as possible, and the best way is often to encourage them to come to the surgery, because your GP will have access to all your medical records, including those held on computer. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Surgery.

If you are mobile, including those patients using walking aids, wheelchair or scooter, we kindly ask that you book an appointment in the Practice

If you think a home visit is required, please call before 10.30am where possible and inform the Receptionist. You will be booked in for a telephone appointment with a doctor, who will triage your request.

Your request will always be triaged and considered to ensure you are seen by the most appropriate health care professional in the most appropriate location

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.

The following are NOT valid reasons for a home visit:

Please note this list is not exhaustive.

Transport issues for the patient

  • It is not the GP practice responsibility to arrange transport, or to perform home visits because the patient has difficulty arranging transport; in these circumstances patients should seek transport help from relatives, friends, or taxi firms.
  • GPs are not responsible for ensuring that a patient has financial means to attend the surgery nor that the patient chooses to register with a practice that is difficult for them to get to in bad weather or without a car.

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 to the surgery.

Poor Mobility

  • Whilst it is understood that having poor mobility is inconvenient and unpleasant, GP surgeries are designed to cater for patients with restricted mobility.
  • If patients are able to attend appointments at other healthcare settings, then they should also be expected to attend appointments in GP surgeries.

An unwell child

  • It is in the best interest of the child to attend the surgery where they can be properly assessed and treated.
  • The Clinician can make a more informed clinical judgment when seeing the child in surgery.
  • If a parent believes that the child is too unwell to travel to surgery, and is a medical emergency then it would be advisable for them to seek help from the emergency services by calling 999

Residents of care home

  • Care home residents are no different to patients in their own homes.
  • The need to visit should be based upon clinical need, not the availability of transport or staff to attend the surgery; it is the responsibility of care facilities to make transport available for residents so that they can get to medical and non-medical appointments.
  • Routine visit requests for care homes can be requested however will be deferred until appropriate clinical resource available.

Some myths & facts about home visits

Myth Fact
It’s my right to have a home visit.Under the GP terms of service, it is actually up to the Clinician to decide, in their reasonable opinion, where a consultation should take place.
I should get a visit because I’m old.  Our clinical work does not judge based on age alone.
I can’t bring my child out in this weather. No-one will be harmed by being wrapped up and brought in to the surgery.
A Doctor needs to check I’m ready to go into hospital.Paramedics can provide initial lifesaving care, and patients will be cared for appropriately in emergency departments.
I’m housebound.  Being housebound does not always prevent use of transport.
I live in a care home. Many patients living in care homes still go to hospital outpatients and take trips out.
Can the GP just pop in to see me?We have fully booked surgeries and cannot visit people at home without a clear clinical need

Remember: you do not have an automatic right to a home visit


Under their terms of working, GPs are required to consider home visits for medical reasons only. All home visit requests will be medically assessed to check if a visit is appropriate.


Always provide a current landline/mobile number so that the Clinician can contact you.