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New Patient Registration
Register with the practice as a new patient
How to register
We are only able to accept patients who live within our practice area, which covers Harpenden and some of the Villages. We will contact you if your address is outside of this area and we are unable to accept your registration.
If you are currently registered with us and move outside of our catchment area we are sorry but you will need to register with a doctor who covers your area. Unfortunately, this applies to those of you who only just cross over our boundaries.
Check you live within the boundary area
To access our registration process, first check you are in our catchment area. If you have any questions about your eligibility to join this surgery, please contact us.
Temporary services
If you are ill while away from home or if you are not registered with a Doctor but need to see one, you can receive emergency treatment from the local GP Practice. As the surgery does not have access to your medical record, depending on your symptoms or medical problem the clinician may triage you request to an alternative service.
You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months. This will allow you to be on the local Practice list and still remain a patient of your permanent GP. After three months you will have to re-register as a temporary patient or permanently register with that Practice.
Some services are limited for temporary patients e.g. we are unable to refer temporary patients to Secondary Care. Care Home residents are requested to register fully to enable the transfer of your medical records to ensure smooth and safe ward rounds at our Care Homes. If only in the Care Home for respite you are able to re-register with your original practice on returning to your home. This will mean your records whilst at the Care Home will also transfer back to them.
To register as a temporary patient, simply contact us on 01582 767 444. Practices do not have to accept you as a temporary patient, although they do have an obligation to offer emergency treatment. You cannot register as a temporary patient at a Practice in the town or area where you are already registered.
Your named GP
All Patients registered with the surgery will have been allocated a named accountable GP who will be responsible for your overall care. However, you can book appointments with any of the GPs at the surgery. If you have a preference to which GP you are allocated, the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your requests. If you wish to know which GP has been allocated to you, please ask reception at your next visit.
The Importance of NHS Numbers
Your NHS number is the National Unique Patient Identifier, helping healthcare staff link you to your health record. Using this number can enhance patient safety by reducing lost records and errors related to similar names.
When registering at our practice, new patients are encouraged to provide their NHS number if known. If not, it can be traced through the Personal Demographic Service (PDS), which also allows the transfer of your previous medical history.
Once registered, your NHS number will be confirmed, and we recommend keeping it for your records. New patients are typically assigned a doctor but can see their preferred doctor whenever possible.
You can use the NHS website to find your NHS number.
Patient Record Movement
For those patients who have previously been registered at an NHS surgery in England, we should receive their past medical history electronically within a few days. This record may not be complete but will provide details of current medications and recent appointments.
All other records are held on paper, and it may be a few weeks until these are received.