Doctors will visit patients in their own homes when this is required. In order to meet the needs of all our patients, it is important that doctors are not called unnecessarily to visit patients at home. Home visits should be reserved for patients who are physically too unwell or lack the mobility to attend surgery.

The majority of patients, including children with acute illness, can be brought safely to surgery where they can be examined without significant delay. This also applies to the out of hours GPs’ on call service where patients should attend the treatment centre whenever possible. Lack of transport should not be generally used as the reason for a visit request.

For home visits during surgery hours, please ring the surgery to request this as early as possible on the day preferably before 10:30, though we do appreciate that if someone is taken ill later in the day, the visit request will be later.