We welcome new patients who live in or are moving to our area.

Our practice covers:

• Cranborne
• Verwood
• Alderholt
• Nearby areas within about 8 miles

If you live outside this area

You can still apply to register as an "out-of-area" patient. Please note that out-of-area registration may mean we cannot offer home visits.

You can register with us in two ways:

1 Online (quickest): Use the NHS Register with a GP online service to register as a new patient at either our Cranborne or Verwood surgery sites (opens a new window):

• Register with The Cranborne Practice at Pennys Lane
• Register with Lake Road Surgery in Verwood

On paper: Download a paper registration form (456KB), print it, fill it out, and hand it to our reception team. You can also pick up a paper copy at reception.

1. Your NHS number (optional) -It helps us find your medical records faster if you have your NHS number. If you do not know it, you can find your NHS number on the NHS website (opens in new tab). You can still register without it.
2. Your health history - We will ask a few simple questions about your current health, medications, and allergies.
3. Children’s vaccines - If you are registering a child under 16, please provide a record of their past vaccinations (such as their red book). This helps us make sure their routine immunisations stay up to date.

You can book appointments and receive medical care as soon as your registration is complete. We will contact you once you are registered on our system.

Download a paper registration form (456KB), print it, fill it out, and hand it to our reception team.

You can also pick up a paper copy at reception.

Once you are registered with us, you may see whichever doctor you choose.  All our medical records are recorded on our computer systems so any of our GPs will be able to treat you.  However we appreciate you may wish to consider one doctor as “your” doctor and to see that one on regular or non-urgent visits. Of course for emergency or urgent visits you will need to see whichever Doctor is available at the time.

We offer appointments for GP consultations at either of the Cranborne or Lake Road surgeries.  You will be offered the first available appointment, which may be via telephone or in person.

We recommend that new patients undertake a health check with a nurse.  Please contact us if you wish to make one of these appointments.

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 for 14 days. After 14 days you will need to register as a temporary or permanent patient.

You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months if you need treatment that cannot be done from your own practice. 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 permanent patient with our practice if you still require our services.

To register as a temporary patient simply contact the local practice you wish to use. 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.

These fact sheets and infographic guides have been written to explain how the National Health Service (NHS) works to newly-arrived individuals seeking asylum. They cover issues such as the role of GPs, their function as gatekeepers to the health services, how to register and how to access emergency services.

Special care has been taken to ensure that information is given in clear language, and the content and style has been tested with user groups.

Scroll down for leaflets in English and translated into other languages.