Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone 01492 515787 before 10.00am if you require a home visit. If an emergency, please inform the receptionist, or if it will not wait, dial 999 for an ambulance. A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, paramedic or occasionally arrange for you to be seen in the hospital.

Home visits are only available to those patients who are too ill or immobile to attend the surgery.  Home visiting is a very inefficient use of a doctor’s time; three or four patients can be seen at the practice in the time taken to do one home visit.  Special arrangements can be made at the surgery for ill patients to be seen promptly.  This can often result in treatment being started several hours earlier than by waiting for a home visit.  It does not harm children with a temperature to be brought out (they would have to go outside if they were ill enough to go to hospital), and they will on the whole not be subjected to lengthy waits in the waiting room. Lack of transport or social inconvenience are not acceptable reasons for requesting a home visit.  Following the above guidelines will ensure an effective service for everyone.