We aim to provide high quality healthcare services to everyone in our care. We deliver services in the community such as clinics, GP practices, community hospitals, as well as in the people’s own homes and care homes.

We have produced the following home visiting guidelines for home visits. This will help us decide the best setting for your appointment.

See or print our home visiting guidance booklet. 

See or print our easy-read home visiting guidance booklet. 

• Clinics are set up with specialist equipment that often isn’t available during home visits.
• Greater flexibility of appointment times to suit your needs.
• Waiting times for appointments are often shorter in local clinics compared to home visits.
• Specialist clinical areas provide a better working environment.

People who are housebound. This includes:

• Those who cannot leave their home at all or require significant assistance to leave the house due to illness, frailty, surgery, disability, mental ill health or because they are nearing the end of life.
• Those who need a stretcher to leave their home or a two- person escort.
• Those a clinician has identified as needing a home visit due to a clinical need.

• Those who are not housebound and can go out with minimal help using a taxi, private car, motorised scooter, or bus.
• Those who are able to complete unassisted or assisted visits to the doctor, dentist, hairdresser, social events, shops or hospital outpatient appointments.

Please note that minimal assistance means you can leave home and travel to a clinic by vehicle—on your own or with support. This may include using a wheelchair. Eligibility is based on clinical need and not age.

We regularly review the needs of people in our care. This may change if someone becomes unwell and needs home visits, or improves and would benefit from clinic based care instead.

If you are unable to drive yourself to an appointment, there are a number of other ways to attend an appointment such as via public transport, a taxi or getting a lift from family and friends.

See our getting to your appointment page for more information on community transport options.

For queries about your appointment and support with travel options, please contact the service providing your care.

Details are available on your appointment letter or on the Sirona website.

If you are concerned and would like to appeal the decision regarding your appointment location, our Experience and Complaints Team can support with the appeals process. They can be contacted using:

Phone: 0300 124 5400* (Mon-Fri 8.30 am to 4.30 pm)
Email: sirona.experienceandcomplaints@nhs.net
Address: Experience and Complaints Team, Sirona care & health, Badminton Rd Office, 2nd Floor, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF