From January 5 2015, all GP practices in England are free to register new patients who live outside their practice boundary area. This means that you are able to register with practices in more convenient locations, such as a practice near your work or closer to your children’s schools.
These new arrangements are voluntary for GP practices
If the practice has no capacity at the time, or feels it is not clinically appropriate or practical for you to be registered so far away from home, then they can still refuse registration. The practice will explain their reason for refusing your registration to you.
The practice will decide, following a review of your completed registration form, whether to accept you onto our registered list without home visiting duties (if it is clinically appropriate and practical for you to be registered away from home). This decision can take up to 7/10 days to be made.
Because of the greater distance to your home, the GP you register with is under no obligation to offer you a home visit. If you are not well enough to go to the practice yourself then other arrangements will be made. NHS England (the body responsible for buying GP services) ensures that there is access to a service either near your home or at home (if required). When you register with a practice away from home you will be given information about what you should do in those circumstances.
However, if you are too ill to attend the practice in person, or the practice is unable to help you over the phone, call NHS 111. The NHS 111 service will be able to tell you about access to local services or, where necessary, arrange a home visit.