Finding and Registering with a GP Surgery in North Yorkshire

Why we do not list individual surgeries

North Yorkshire has a very large number of GP practices, many covering rural areas that straddle several towns, and practice names, branch sites, merges and catchment areas change. For a current list, use the NHS directory, which is the official record.

How do I find a surgery near me?

Use the NHS Find a GP tool and enter your postcode (or let it use your location). The NHS notes that most people will need to register near where they live, though some surgeries accept patients from further away. This works for any of the area's main postcodes, which cover Harrogate (HG1 to HG3), Scarborough (YO11 and YO12), Skipton (BD23), Ripon (HG4), Whitby (YO21 and YO22), Northallerton (DL6 and DL7), Selby (YO8) and Malton (YO17).

How do I register?

The NHS registration page says everyone in England can register with a GP surgery or change surgery for free, and that you can register with most surgeries online. To register online you search for surgeries in the area you want, choose one that offers online registration, and fill in a registration form, which takes about 15 minutes per person. You should be told when you have been registered; the NHS says it is usually within five days of the surgery getting your details but may take longer. If you already have the NHS App, you can use it to change surgery.

How do I book an appointment?

According to the NHS's appointments page, surgeries can offer appointments with a GP, nurse, clinical pharmacist, physiotherapist or other professional depending on your situation, and appointments may be face to face, over the phone or online. You can book through the NHS App or NHS website, an online form on your surgery's website, by phone, or by going to the surgery. Your surgery may ask what you need help with to decide how soon you should be seen. The NHS says that for an urgent appointment you should call the surgery, and if it is closed a recorded message will tell you who to contact.

The same page says you can see a healthcare professional on weekday evenings between 6.30pm and 8pm and on Saturdays between 9am and 5pm, by calling the surgery or using its online services.

When the surgery is closed

If you cannot contact your GP, or you are not sure what to do, NHS 111 can direct you: you can use 111 online (for people aged 5 and over), call 111, or use the NHS App. It may advise a call to 999, an urgent treatment centre, an evening or weekend GP, a call back from a nurse, a pharmacist, or self-care. See our urgent care guide for the walk-in units in the area and our pharmacy guide for pharmacy services.

Moving into the area

If you have just moved to North Yorkshire, register with a local surgery as soon as you can rather than waiting until you are unwell. The NHS App and NHS website both let you do this once you have chosen a practice from the directory.