Home visits

 Dr Finlay's casebook


 

Remember the days when the GP would "go on his rounds", popping in to the elderly for a cup of tea and a chat?

Patients appreciated it. The doctors enjoyed it. But times have changed......

I can't get to the surgery ...

A large part of the doctors day is spent visiting patients at home. This is vital for patients who physically cannot get to the surgery.

But this is time-consuming; for every home visit we do, we could usually see 3 patients at the surgery. And at a time when the NHS and GP practices in particular are under pressure from increasing demand, it's ever more important that we only see patients at home if there is a genuine need.

There may be times when you feel quite poorly, with a temperature, backache or diarrhoea and vomiting. There may be times when you might struggle with transport, and cannot easily get a lift. You may be very old, or have a very young child ...... it's situations like these where we understand that it may be difficult or hard to get to us, you may not want to leave the house, but we REALLY appreciate it when you do!

 

 

 

 

Who should request a visit

We are very happy to visit patients who have a medical problem or need a medical review, but are housebound due to medical reasons.

Urgent visits

Please try to ring us before 11am if you need a visit, as after this time the doctors may have already left to do their visits.

If you have an urgent medical problem and it is past 11am, please ring us and the doctor will make contact with you as soon as possible to assess your needs.

 

 

 Call before 11 am

 

 How do home visits work?

 

01

Call us

01274 567991

Please try to call before 11am, as this is when GPs start to do their visits

 

 

 02
 

The GP might ring

In order for us to assess the urgency of your visit, or to assess whether it may be more appropriate to offer advice or a referral to other services (eg. district nurses), you may first receive a phone call.

 

 

03

The GP visits

This will usually be between 11.30am and 1pm, but may be any time between 11am and the end of the day. 

We cannot guarantee a specific time, but we will try our best if there's a reason eg. relative wishes to be present.