Register with our practice
If you are new to the area you can come in to the practice and ask to register. In order to register you as a patient we need to ensure that you are entitled to free NHS treatment and that you live at an address that the Practice covers within its catchment area. If you are uncertain as to whether your home address falls within our Practice area please ring and enquire. Our Reception Staff will be happy to help.
When you come to the Practice to register please bring with you proof of identity – your Birth Certificate, Passport or Driving licence and also something to confirm your address. This could be a recent (i.e. no older than three months) utility bill, Bank or credit card statement or a letter from your Solicitors or Landlord confirming the move to your address. Regrettably mobile phone bills are not sufficient.
We need you to fill in a form – the GMS1 – which gives details of your current address and your previous address and that of your previous GP. This is so that we can call your medical records forward from your previous practice.
We also ask you to complete a registration questionnaire to provide us with some basic information about you. When we register you we will ask you to make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses for a New Patient Health check. This is very important as it allows us to gather some information on you and your health history, which is useful to us, before your records arrive.
There are also three records release schemes we need to make you aware of. Details of these and the Opt out form to complete should you wish to opt our of any of these is here.
Can I register with your practice if I am already registered with another practice in the area?
If you are already registered with another practice in this area we may need to ask you to make a routine appointment to come in to discuss your registration application with one of our doctors who will then advise if we can register you on our list. Generally we accept applications from people who have moved house within the area. However final discretion on this rests with the registering GP who may feel it is not appropriate for us to register you and thereby de-register you from your present doctor. We certainly do not believe in poaching patients!
How long will it take for my medical records to come through from my previous practice?
This normally takes two weeks, although your electronic records can be with us sooner.
Do I need a medical card to register with your practice?
No. Medical cards used to be issued by your new Health Authority when you joined a practice in their area. You used to submit your medical card in place of filling in a registration form and when it went to the Health Authority they would automatically issue you a new medical card. However this system was stopped some years ago and a medical card is no longer needed for registration at a practice.
Do I need an NHS number to register with your practice?
No. Most patients do not know what their NHS number is and many people confuse their National Insurance number with their NHS number. The computer systems at the Health Authority will advise us of your NHS number if you already have one and will allocate one to you if you do not.
What happens if I am ill whilst I am away on holiday elsewhere in the UK?
If you are unwell whilst you are on holiday in the UK and are away from home for more than 24hours but no more than 3 months you can be seen and treated by another GP as a Temporary Resident. You can go to a local practice and ask to be seen, although they may ask you to wait for a routine appointment if they do not have any available immediately and your condition is not classed as urgent. You will be asked to fill in a form giving the details of your usual address and GP’s address as well as details of the place where you are staying whilst on holiday. Part of this form is then completed by the GP when you are seen to record the treatment given. This record is then sent back via the Health Authorities to your usual GP so that he or she knows you have had treatment elsewhere and what that treatment was.
