You can contact Healthwatch, which is an organisation set up to get your opinion and find out what matters to you to help make sure your views shape the support you need.
Local Healthwatch provides information about access to services and choices available to help people by taking more control of their own health, treatment and care. For more information go to your local Healthwatch website or for general enquiries call 03000 683 000.
Most people need to register with a surgery close to where they live. You can use the Find a GP service to look for a surgery. Find a GP will show you:
Once you've chosen a surgery, you'll need to fill in a registration form. These are usually available on:
No, you do not need ID, an NHS number or proof of address to register.
Some GP surgeries ask for supporting documentation as it can:
If you do not have a permanent address you can still register using a temporary address or the address of the GP surgery
Children under 16 need to be registered by their parent or guardian. This usually means filling in a separate form. You may also be asked to provide a form of ID to prove that you're their parent or guardian.
If you have a personal child health record (red book) from the birth of your child, it will help to provide this
You can change your GP surgery if you need to. This might be because:
When you register with a new GP surgery, you'll usually get a message to tell you your registration has been successful. Your medical records will be transferred from your old GP. This can take up to 28 days.
You can register as a temporary resident with a GP surgery for up to 3 months. This can be helpful if you're living away from home but do not want to change your home GP surgery.
To register you'll need to fill out a temporary services form (GMS3), available from GP surgeries. After 3 months, you'll have to reapply to register as a temporary resident or become a permanent patient.
You may also be able to register as a temporary resident if you are visiting from abroad. If your application is refused, you can still receive any treatment you need immediately for up to 14 days.
If someone over 16 is unable to register with a GP because they cannot make decisions about their care, registration can be done by:
A GP surgery can refuse to register you if:
If a GP surgery refuses to register you, they must write to you within 14 days explaining why.
If you do have any problems registering with a GP surgery, then please contact your local Healthwatch in the first instance. Should you continue to have any problems with registration then please contact us at the integrated care board (ICB) on 0191 5128277 or email at www.necsu.pccomplaints@nhs.net
Practices should invite newly registered patients to participate in a new patient check. However, the registration nor any clinical appointments should be delayed because of the unavailability of a new patient check appointment.
