New Patient Registration

Out of Area Registrations Scheme

Patients can apply to register with a practice not in their immediate area.

GP practices now have the option to register patients who live outside the practice catchment area, but without obligation to provide home visits.

We will assess your application and if clinically appropriate and practical, the practice will register you with agreeement that home visits will not be provided.

When is it clinically appropriate and practical to register out of area patients without home visits?

When a patient approaches the GP practice to apply to register as an out of area patient and the practice wishes to consider their registration without an obligation to provide home visits it will need to decide whether it is clinically appropriate and practical for the individual patient.

While it is for the practice to form this opinion based on the individual circumstances of the patient, practices will want to consider, for example, if:

1. There are clinical conditions or care needs which mean registration without the ability to do home visits would compromise clinical care, and the patient’s needs would be better met through registration with a practice near to where they live. (For example, the patient has complex long-term conditions that mean they are receiving a package of home-based care or community-based support which would be difficult for the practice to coordinate remotely; or, the patient relies on frequent home visits from their current GP practice.)
2. There are practical reasons which mean the patient is unlikely to benefit from out of area registration with the practice (for example, the patient is not spending frequent periods of time in or near the practice area where they wish to register.)

Other examples of concern would be concerns around child and adult safeguarding.

If the practice decides it is not clinically appropriate or practical for the patient to be registered away from home it will give its reasons for this. There is no right of appeal for the patient against the decision (they may, however, make a complaint through the NHS complaints system as for any other decision). The practice must be able to give reasons as to why registration was declined. Given the limitations of this type of registration, it is not discriminatory to advise a patient is unsuitable for registration on clinical grounds.

In order to decide the clinical appropriateness and practicality of the individual patient application we may:

• Ask you or the practice you are currently / were registered with (with your consent) questions about your health to help decide whether to register you in this way
• Ask you questions about why it is practical for you to attend this practice (for example, how many days during the week you would normally be able to attend)

What can out of area patients expect from the practice?

If accepted, you will attend the practice and receive the full range of services provided as normal at the surgery.

If you have an urgent care need and the surgery cannot help you at home we will ask you to call NHS 111 and they will put you in touch with a local service (this may be a face to face appointment with a local healthcare professional or a home visit where necessary).

If you require access to community services (district nursing, physiotherapy, midwifery etc) we will discuss the options with you and refer you to the community teams attached to the practice or those in the area where you live as appropriate.

Your inclusion in screening programmes will be linked to the Practice so you may be called to a service outside of your resident area.

If we decide it isn't possible for you to register with us

We may decide however, that it is not in your best interests or practical for you to be registered in this way. In these circumstances we may offer you registration with home visits, for example, if you live just outside the practice area, or we may not register you and advise you should seek to register (or remain registered) with a more local practice.

If accepted but your health needs change and it becomes apparent that it is no longer clinically appropriate or practical for your Out Of Area registration we reserve the right, following discussion with you, to ask you to register with a GP Practice that can provide you with home visits.

Once an out of area registration request is received, a decision will  be made on an individual patient basis as to whether it is appropriate for you to be registered as an Out of Area Registration and you will be informed  if your request has been rejected.

If you’re already registered with us and are changing your address to outside our contracted area, then your registered GP will decide if it is appropriate to change your registration to be Out Of Area. If your care needs would be better met by a practice near your home we may refuse your Out Of Area registration.

Registration of Temporary Patients

If you are staying within our practice area and you are ill while away from home, or if you are not registered with a doctor but need to see one urgently you can receive emergency treatment from Frome Medical Practice by registering as a temporary patient.

You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months, allowing you to be on our practice list but remain a patient of your registered GP practice. After three months you will have to re-register as a temporary patient or permanently register with us.

We do not have to accept you as a temporary patient although we are required to offer you immediately necessary / urgent treatment.

Immediately necessary treatment is that which a patient needs:

• to save their life, or
• to prevent a condition from becoming immediately life-threatening, or
• promptly to prevent permanent serious damage from occurring.

Urgent treatment is that which:

• clinicians do not consider immediately necessary, but which nevertheless cannot wait until the person can be reasonably expected to return home
• You cannot register as a temporary patient if you are already registered at another practice in our area.

The funding of primary care is mainly based on the number of patients registered with a practice. If we see patients who are not registered with us, we are providing a service to them which can reduce the level of services available to offer to our registered patients and there is no funding for this.

It may seem unhelpful if we cannot see temporary patients, but we are trying to protect the services that we offer to our registered patients. Patients registered elsewhere should see their own doctor. We will, of course, see you if you are having a problem that really cannot wait until you can see your own GP.

Some of the services we will not provide include: contraceptive pill and devices, warfarin checks, and smear tests.

If you are considering registering as a temporary patient just to obtain medication, please see our separate page for patients on holiday.

University Students

If you are returning home from university for the holidays please bring enough medication with you to last while you are home. We cannot issue repeat prescriptions or make referrals to hospitals when you are temporary patient.

The only contraception that can be given as a temporary patient is the Depo Injection as this may fall due when home.

Patients On Holiday

If you do not have enough of your regular medication while you are on holiday act as soon as possible – do not leave it until it becomes urgent. If you are away from home and need your usual medication, you should visit a pharmacist (chemist) for help.

If agreed with the pharmacist, contact your registered GP and ask if they can send a prescription to the pharmacy.

If your registered GP Surgery is using electronic prescribing, they will be able to send a prescription to the pharmacy of your choice via the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

If your registered GP surgery is closed and you have proof of the medication normally prescribed to you, the pharmacist may be able to provide an emergency supply. Emergency supply is a private service, and you will be asked to pay for the medication supplied.

Named Accountable GP

All of our patients have a named GP who is responsible for patients’ overall care at the Practice.

Please contact the Practice if you wish to know who this is.

If you have a preference as to which GP is your named accountable GP we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request.

We strongly believe in patient choice and patients are able to see any of our available GPs.

We try to encourage patients to see the same GP where possible to improve continuity of care.