We understand that some patients may wish to register with our practice even if they live outside our catchment area. While we are open to accepting out-of-area registrations, we do so on a case-by-case basis, guided by our responsibility to ensure safe, effective, and equitable care for all.
We will consider out-of-area registrations where we believe it is in the patient’s best interest and there is no risk or compromise to the care we can provide. For example, we may accept patients who work locally Monday to Friday and find it easier to access care near their workplace.
However, we are unable to accept out-of-area registrations in situations where a patient’s healthcare needs could be negatively affected. This may include:
- Patients who require frequent appointments or home visits, where travel time makes this impractical
- Patients who need community-based services such as district nursing or community paediatrics, which we may not be able to coordinate without local commissioning agreements
Because of this, our policy is to speak directly with the patient before processing any out-of-area registration request. This conversation helps us understand individual needs and decide whether we can safely and appropriately meet them.
Our aim is always to support patient wellbeing while maintaining safe, accessible, and equitable care for all.
Temporary Resident Applications
We do not routinely encourage temporary resident applications. This is because, in most cases, a patient’s ongoing care can be safely managed by their registered GP practice through remote consultations, in line with current NHS policy and the increasing availability of digital healthcare.
However, we understand that there may be exceptional circumstances where temporary care is needed. In these situations, we ask that individuals contact us directly to discuss their needs. This allows us to assess whether we can safely and responsibly provide the necessary care, and to ensure clear communication with the patient’s usual GP or any other healthcare providers involved.
Our priority is always to ensure safe, coordinated care without unnecessary disruption to a patient’s long-term health management.