Farsi

Temporary Registration

If you are away from home but need to see a doctor you can receive EMERGENCY TREATMENT from a local GP practice. Emergency treatment does not include routine appointments for on-going issues or non-urgent hospital referrals.

If you develop an acute illness while you are away from home that requires emergency treatment you can contact the surgery and ask to register as a temporary resident. We will ask you to complete a Temporary Registration Form. 

You can register as a temporary resident with a GP in England if you are in their area for longer than 24 hours but less than three months.

What does temporary registration mean?

You’ll still remain registered with your permanent GP, but you can see a temporary GP for up to three months. After three months your temporary registration will expire and you will either have to re-register as a temporary patient or permanently register with that practice.

The temporary GP will pass details of any treatment you have to your permanent GP, who will add the information to your medical records.

What information do I need?

In order to be able to treat you appropriately the following information is needed by a temporary GP:

• details of any medical conditions you have
• details of medical conditions you’ve had in the past
• the name of any medicines you’re currently taking
• details of anything you’re allergic to
• contact details for your permanent GP

Read the answers to more questions about NHS Services and Treatments.

I’m Away From Home But Need Medication!

It is not our policy to issue prescriptions for repeat medication for temporary patients.

It is important that you remember to take enough medication with you when you travel away from home. If you are away from home and have run out or forgotten to bring medication with you, you should contact the surgery where you are registered. You can ask them to forward a prescription (either electronically or by fax) to a pharmacy near to where you are for you to collect. It is up to you to locate a pharmacy and obtain their address, fax or Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) details. Click link to find out more about EPS. You will need to pass these details to your GP surgery as they will not be able to forward a prescription without this information. You should not register as a temporary patient at a local GP surgery in order to obtain repeat medication.

If you are unable to contact your GP (e.g. it is out of hours) you may be able to get an emergency supply of your medicine either from an NHS walk-in centre or a local pharmacist subject to certain conditions.

You must have been prescribed the medicine before. In addition to this, the pharmacist:

• will usually need to see you face-to-face
• must agree that you need the medicine immediately
• will usually need evidence that you have been prescribed that medicine before
• must be satisfied with the dose that is most appropriate for you to take

The pharmacist will then make a note of:

• your name and address
• the nature of the emergency
• the date of the emergency supply
• the name, quantity, form (e.g. capsules, tablets or liquid) and strength of the medicine

Is it an NHS service?

No. Supplying medicine for people who have forgotten or run out of their regular medication whilst away from home is a private service that is not funded by the NHS. This means that pharmacists can charge for it. The charge will vary and will depend on the medicine and the pharmacist’s policy.

For more information on temporary registrations and obtaining medications please see the following links:

How can I see a GP if I am away from home?

Where can I get emergency medication?