Home Visits

If you require a Home Visit please request one by telephoning reception. Home visit requests should be made before 11:00.

Home visits are reserved for patients who are unwell and housebound. Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Medical Centre

A patient is deemed to be housebound when they are unable to leave their home environment through a physical or psychological illness. A patient is not considered housebound if he or she is able to leave their home with minimal assistance or support. For example unassisted/assisted visit to the Doctor, dentist, hairdresser, supermarket, social events or hospital outpatient appointments. Some patients may not be housebound permanently but rather are housebound temporarily as a consequence of an episode of illness.

Minimal assistance would be described as a person who can leave their own home and travel to a clinical appointment in a vehicle such as a personal car, taxi or public transport adapted for their use or not and with or without the use of a wheelchair either by themselves or with an escort.

To avoid confusion any person who requires a specialist vehicle (Ambulance) or a two person escort would be regarded as housebound.

To avoid further confusion a person will not be regarded as housebound because they do not personally have a companion to escort them to a clinical appointment.