Trent View Medical Practice

Home Visit Policy

Contents

Purpose. 2

Housebound Patients. 2

Acutely ill patients. 2

The care navigator. 2

The UC practitioner. 3

Any patients calling with chest pain needs to be advised to call 999

Please remember that transport issues are NOT a reason for a home visit. This service is only for patients who are housebound or medically incapable of attending the surgery.

 Purpose

Home visits are for patients who are housebound or medically incapable of coming to the surgery. It is better for patients if they are examined at the surgery, where clinicians have access to equipment, good lighting, examination facilities and most importantly your notes with your full medical history and medications.

Patients who are too ill or physically incapable of travelling to the surgery may request a home visit It is a clinical decision as to whether a home visit is warranted.

Housebound Patients

A patient is housebound if they are unable to leave their home at all, or if they require significant assistance to leave the house due to illness, frailty, surgery, disability, mental ill-health, or nearing the end of life.

Acutely ill patients

Will be discussed with the ECP on the day via SPA.

All requests for home visits will be triaged via the Urgent care team on the day.

The care navigator

Request the following information.

• Confirm patients’ name.
• Confirm the patient is registered with a GP at this surgery.
• Confirm patient/carer telephone number.
• Patients address. (Check that the patients address is in the catchment area for home visit. If the patient is residing at a place outside of the catchment area, advise the patient to temporarily register at a GP surgery near to where they are staying.
• Record the time of the request.
• Advise patient/carer of the process. A clinician will call them back to discuss their request/problem.

The care-navigator will then place the patients name on the UC list, but also discuss this with the UC practitioner.

The UC practitioner

Will call the patient as soon as possible to discuss the reason for home visit.

The UC practitioner will decide if a home visit is warranted.

If warranted- The UC practitioner will discuss with the Palliative and support team practitioner to honour the request.

A home visit will NOT be agreed if the reason is due to difficulties in getting to the surgery. The surgery is not responsible for ensuring that patients have the financial means to attend the surgery. nor that the patient chooses to register with a practice that is difficult for them to get to in bad weather or without a car.

Clinicians are not obliged to visit a patient if they have assessed the patient's clinical need on the telephone and found them to be suitable for an alternative method of healthcare if the clinician has provided a plan for a patient (which may be an appointment the same day, a future day, telephone advice or attendance at other healthcare site such as A&E.

This policy is to be used in conjunction with the lone working policy and infection control policy.