As the Doctors time is at a premium, home visits are reserved for the following groups of patients:

• Housebound

• Terminally ill

• Elderly/frail

What is the definition of 'housebound'?

"A patient who 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 house with minimal assistance or support. For
example: unassisted/assisted visit to the Doctor, dentist, hairdresser, supermarket, social
events or hospital outpatients.

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 clinic 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.

Please try to come to the surgery whenever possible, as facilities here are far better for examination and treatment. If you feel a home visit is needed, please phone where possible before 10.30am and give the receptionist some indication of the problem so that the visiting doctor will know how urgent the visit is. You may receive a telephone call back from a doctor in order to assess the situation further.

Please follow the guidelines if you feel your medical problem is an Emergency.

Home Visits can be booked on the usual telephone number: 0151 489 1806