Market Street, Yealmpton, Plymouth, PL8 2EA
Telephone: 01752 880 567
CQC Rating 
How To Request a Home Visit
Please telephone before 10:30am if possible.
Yealm Medical Centre Home Visit Policy
In order to provide fair, efficient medical care of the highest standard to all our patients the practice has created a home visiting policy. Throughout the development of this policy the quality of medical care offered by the GPs and Nurses to our patients has been of paramount importance.
Speed of treatment is facilitated by restricting home visits to those who really need it. Others are encouraged to attend properly equipped medical facilities where patients are seen quickly and those that need it, immediately.
When a patient requests a home visit we will assess whether:
- the home visit is clinically necessary
- the urgency of need for medical attention
This may be clear from the initial request, or may require a doctor to telephone the patient or carer to gather further information for an informed decision to be made. In some cases the urgency will be so great that it is more appropriate to engage the emergency services. It is accepted medical practice that suspected heart attack, stroke, extreme shortness of breath and blood loss are immediately admitted to hospital via 999.
After gathering the relevant information in order to make an assessment, it is the doctor’s decision whether or not the patient requires a home visit. Please consider asking a friend or neighbour, or organising a taxi to get to the surgery. It is not appropriate for a doctor to feel compelled to leave a busy pre-booked surgery to attend a patient at home. In these circumstances alternative options will be discussed.
Situations where GP home visiting makes clinical sense:
- The terminally ill.
- The truly bedbound patient in whom travel to surgery by car would cause a deterioration in medical condition or unacceptable discomfort.
Situations where visiting is not usually appropriate:
- Transport issues for the patient. Childcare issues for the patient.
- Poor mobility. If patients are able to attend appointments at e.g. other healthcare settings, hairdressers then they should also be expected to attend the GP surgery.
- Unwell children. If the child is too unwell to travel then it would be advisable to seek emergency help via 999.