HOME VISITS
House calls are carried out as necessary by the doctors and district nurses.
Should you be unable to come to the surgery, please phone 01330 822121, before 11am if possible. The receptionist will take your name, number, and brief details of the problem. A doctor will either phone you back or attend later in the day.
We are, of course, happy to attend those who are housebound or have serious illnesses, but it should be remembered that a doctor can see 4 or 5 patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit.
Do I need a home visit?
GP visit recommended
Home visiting makes clinical sense and is the best way of giving medical opinion, in cases involving:
•The terminally ill.
•The truly housebound patient for whom travel to premises by car would cause deterioration in their medical condition.
GP visit may be useful
•Following a conversation with a health professional, it may be agreed that a seriously ill patient may be helped by a GP's visit.
GP visit is not usual
In most of these cases a visit would not be an appropriate use of your GP's time or best for you:
•Common symptoms of childhood: fevers, cold, cough, earache, headache, diarrhoea/vomiting and most cases of abdominal pain. These patients are usually well enough to travel, to the surgery. It is not harmful to take a child with fever outside.
•Adults with common problems, such as cough, sore throat, influenza, general malaise, back pain and abdominal pain are also readily transportable to the doctor's surgery. Transport arrangements are the responsibility of the patients or their carers.
NHS 24 takes calls from G-MEDS practice patients who need urgent medical advice when their own surgery is closed. A nurse will give advice but if necessary will arrange for a doctor to see the patient.
The service operates from 6.00pm to 8.00am MONDAY to FRIDAY and from 6pm FRIDAY until 8.00am MONDAY.
NHS 24 can be contacted on
08454 24 24 24