Moved house but want to stay with same doctor

longwalks1

We moved house a few months ago, only 5 miles away but from 1 county to another, do we have to change our GP? We've finally found one who is brilliant and it would be a shame to change just because we have a different postcode. Do we have to change, or can we stay with him?

Am worried about asking him or reception incase they insist we leave their books (currently our mail is on re-direct, and not got round to changing it with the surgery)

Any advice please?

Torry_Quine

You must tell your doctor your new address. They may well say that you have to leave but if you don't change the adress they have what would happen if you needed a home visit?

heuchera

Most GPs have a website now, it might be worth checking on there to see where their catchment area is and if you still fall within that area.

I guess it's only a matter of time before they'll find out you're no longer at your old address, because hospital records/letters will have to be updated, and the GP will be copied in. Also NHS England sometimes send out letters to patients, and these will also go to the wrong address if you don't update your GP records.

faerielight

it's most likely, if you don't fall into their catchment area, you will need to change. I had a fab dr but when I moved, I had to change.

HappyMJ

britishboy wrote: »

We moved house a few months ago, only 5 miles away but from 1 county to another, do we have to change our GP? We've finally found one who is brilliant and it would be a shame to change just because we have a different postcode. Do we have to change, or can we stay with him?

Am worried about asking him or reception incase they insist we leave their books (currently our mail is on re-direct, and not got round to changing it with the surgery)

Any advice please?

You can be a private patient of your GP if your GP is so important to you. It's about £50 per consultation.

You could wait until you no longer redirect your mail before switching GP's. As has been said you would not be eligible for home visits.

teddysmum

Our son has stayed with our practice, since leaving home over 10 years ago, but he's unlikely to be found out, as they rarely do home visits and any mail (there has never been any) could be passed on by us.

Nicki

I moved a mile down the road and our doctors don't do home visits other than post natal midwives who come from the same hospital and we were still made to move mid treatment because we weren't in the same catchment area and the old surgery was over subscribed. The new one is also oversubscribed but whereas you could get appointments at the old one you can't at the new

System

Some hospitals and some departments only get contact information from your GP and some don't. As my mum quoted her phone number to a nurse earlier this nonth and the nurse said 'we've got this number'. The phone number the nurse had was my parents old one and they moved almost 4 years ago.

cazs

The surgery I'd been with all my life made me leave when I moved out of the postcode, I hadn't moved out by much but they said if someone needed to come out to my house it wasn't practical. Shame as it was a good surgery and not difficult to get an appointment.

My new one you have to play the 'Let's all of us call at 8.30 on the dot to try and get the handful of appointments available even though they told you they were available the day before but wouldn't let you book it game'...