What if I need a home visit?
- Primary care has changed significantly over the years, and we now have good access to community teams who can support patients who are housebound.
- If a patient has a problem that needs a home visit, the practice will triage this and decide the most appropriate team to assess further
- If a patient attends appointments with the support of family or carers, we will usually ask if they are able to bring you to the practice.
What is defined as Housebound?
- A patient who is unable to leave the house for any reason (this includes attending hairdressers, hospital appointments, supermarket)
- Some patients may be temporarily housebound such as after an operation or illness.
How might my problem be managed?
- Many health conditions can be safely managed by phone.
- We will triage all request for a home visit and these are discussed by the GPs in the daily clinical huddle.
- We may often ask one of our community teams to visit patients at home especially in a more acute setting.
Teams supporting housebound patients
- District nurses
- Practice nurses for long-term conditions
- Visiting phlebotomy service
- Urgent Community response
- Hospital at home team
- Social services
- Palliative care services
- General practitioners