Maybole Medical Practice 6 High Street, Maybole, KA19 7BY | Tel: 01655 882708

Home Visits

Home Visits
Making Best Use of Your GP Practice

Our GP Practice is keen that we make best use of our clinical staff allowing them to provide the most appropriate care to those most in need. 

For the vast majority of patients attending an appointment at the Surgery is the best option for them and for the Practice staff.  Attending the surgery allows our clinical team to see many more patients in a day than if we are undertaking home visits.  A doctor could see 4-6 other equally needy patients in the time it takes for a home visit.

If you think you may need a home visit

We would kindly ask any patient who is mobile (including using a walking aid, wheelchair or scooter) to see us in the surgery. If you are poorly and think you need an urgent same day visit, please ring the surgery on 01655 882708 before 12.30pm on the day. The doctor will always consider your request.

Appropriate

  • Bedbound
  • Would come to serious harm if moved
  • Terminally ill

Unsuitable

  • No transport or money
  • Children, young people and anyone who is mobile
  • Social reasons or for convenience
  • Other help would be more appropriate
  • Patients do not have an automatic right to a home visit
  • Doctors are only able to consider home visits for medical reasons only
  • If you think you qualify for a home visit, please phone before 12.30pm
  • All visits requested will be medically assessed to check if appropriate

Other support available. There are other options that are available to provide support including:

Self care For minor grazes, coughs and colds, sore throats and hangoversNHS Inform has excellent information available to support you www.nhsinform.scot
PharmacistFor diarrhoea, runny nose and headaches, stings, bites, emergency contraception 
NHS 111General advice, medical help or not sure who to callPhone 111
Social ServicesFor advice and help in social matters, including respite care, additional help at home and aidsPhone 01655 883293 for Maybole Social Work
PodiatryPatients can refer themselves for foot and nail care

FootcAyr provides a range of toe-nail cutting clinics. There is a cost for this service.

Tiptoes provides a nail cutting service. There is a cost for this service
Patients can collect a self referral form from the practice and refer directly to podiatry

FootcAyr
Please contact 01292 281800 or email [email protected]/footcayr-ayrshire.php

Tiptoes
Please phone on 07762 416025
More information is available on Tiptoes Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tiptoesfootcareservice/info
Community Link PractitonerAppointments can be arranged here in the surgery with our community link practitoner Ask receptionist for details
South Ayrshire LifeWebsite has hundreds of other activites and local services listedwww.southayrshirelife.org
or phone 0800 432 0510 if you do not have access to the internet

For real life threatening emergencies such as those below PHONE 999

  • Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
  • Suspected stroke
  • Suspected meningitis
  • Anaphalactic shock (severe allergy)
  • Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
  • Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconcious
  • Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
  • New seizure, fit or uncontrolable shaking

For immediatley serious conditions such as the following, GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (A&E) IMMEDIATLEY

  • A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
  • A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) child
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Sudden, severe abdominal pain
  • Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
  • Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident


Home visits, whilst convenient for patients, actually offer a pooer standard of care comapired to surgery consultations. This is because:

  • Poor facilities (e.g.: soft beds, poor lighting, lack of hygiene)
  • Lack of records and chaperones (required for safe care and examination)

We have noticed that many patients are requesting visits that are inappropriate or unnecessary. This is having a negative impact upon other aspects of our service. Calling the doctor out unnecessarily takes them away from the patient who may be in more clinical need. Most of the consultations during home visits could easily and safely be carried out in the surgery. Because patients might not know this, we are letting you know our policy on home visits.

Home visits are entirely appropriate for:

  • Terminally ill patients – we have no problems at all seeing those who are at most clinical need
  • Truly bedbound patients – we have no problems seeing those who are confined to bed
  • Patients who are so poorly they would be harmed if moved – we have no problems at all seeing those who are at most clinical need

Home visits are not appropriate for the following reasons:

  • Children, young people or anyone who is mobile – young children can be carried and seen more quickly in the surgery
  • Lack of money or transport – this is not a medical responsibility. It is up to the patient and/or families/friends to organise transport
  • Lack of childcare
  • People who have been drinking alcohol and not able to drive – this is not a medical responsibilty
  • Can’t get our due to bad weather – we are also affected by snow, ice or bad weather
  • Timed visits between hairdressing and shopping appointments – patients who are clearly mobile are taking doctors and nurses away from patients more in need.
  • Well but need a check over to make sure everything is all right – our priority is seeing the unwell.
  • Other help more appropriate – e.g. if you think that you are having a heart attack or stroke please phone 999 

Some Myths about Home Visits (All of these are not true)

  • “It is my right to have a home visit” – under GP terms of service, it is actually up to the doctor to decide, in their reasonable opinion, where a consultation should take place.
  • “I should get a visit because I am old” – our clinical work should not discriminate simply based on age alone.
  • “I can’t bring little Freddie out in this weather” – no one will be harmed by being wrapped up and brought in.
  • “The doctor needs to check I’m ready to go into hospital/have a ward to go to” – Paramedics can provide initial lifesaving care and patients will be dealt with appropriately in A&E Departments
  • “I’m housebound” – being housebound does not always prevent use of transport
  • “I live in care home so I get a visit” – many such patients still go to hospital outpatients appointments and take trips out.
  • “Can the GP just pop out and see me” – we have fully booked surgeries and cannot simply drop everything to visit people urgently.

If we visit you and your request was inappropriate

If we feel that your visit request was inappropriate, we may inform you so that you may use our services more appropriatly in the future. Please do not be offended, as we have a duty to use our limited resources efectely for the safety and benefit of ALL patients.