NHS GP Change of Address: How to Update Your Details (2026)

To change your address with your NHS GP, open the NHS App, go to Profile, select Contact details, then Home address. Whether you can update it directly depends on your GP surgery. If the option is not available, contact your surgery by phone, online form or in person and ask them to update your record. If your new address is outside your current GP catchment area, you will need to register with a new GP. You can also use Moveinout to notify your GP alongside over 9,000 other providers in one process.

Why does updating your GP address matter when you move?

Your GP surgery holds your registered home address on your NHS record. This is used for appointment letters, test result notifications, referral correspondence, prescription reminders and any other NHS communications sent by post. If it is out of date after you move, all of that post goes to your old address.

Beyond missed letters, an outdated GP address creates practical problems. If you need a home visit, your surgery will send a clinician to the wrong address. If you are referred to a specialist, the hospital will write to your old address. If you have repeat prescriptions, any postal notifications will miss you. An incorrect address on your NHS record can also cause issues across NHS services that pull from the same central record.

Updating your GP address is one of the most important healthcare tasks after moving and takes a few minutes online or a short phone call.

How do you change your address in the NHS App?

The NHS App allows you to view and potentially update your home address, depending on whether your GP surgery supports this feature. The steps below are verified directly from nhs.uk/nhs-app/help/profile/home-address (last reviewed 2 June 2026).

How do you contact your GP surgery directly?

If the NHS App does not allow you to change your address, contact your GP surgery using one of the following methods. NHS.uk confirms that asking your GP surgery to update your record is the alternative route.

Do you need to register with a new GP when you move?

This depends on whether your new address is within your current GP surgery's catchment area.

GP surgeries serve patients within a defined boundary around their practice. If your new home is still within that area, you can simply update your address with the same surgery and continue as a patient there.

If your new address is outside the catchment area, you will need to register with a GP closer to your new home. One GP surgery confirmed in their patient information: "If you inform us that you have moved house and your new address is outside of our published practice boundary you will need to register with a GP nearer your new home. We will commence the process when we receive your notification and this will give you 28 days to register with a new practice."

The 28-day window is important. It means you will not immediately lose access to your current GP when you notify them of a move outside their catchment area, giving you time to find and register with a new practice without a gap in care.

How do you find a new GP near your new address?

If you need to register with a new GP surgery, use the NHS GP finder at nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp. Enter your new postcode to find GP surgeries accepting new patients in your area.

• Filter results by surgeries currently accepting new patients
• Check the surgery's website or call their reception to confirm they accept patients from your new postcode
• Register as a new patient. Most surgeries have an online registration form or ask you to complete a form in person.
• Your medical records will be transferred from your old surgery to your new one automatically once you are registered

What is the difference between NHS App contact details and your GP address?

This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of the NHS App, and getting it wrong means you think your address has been updated when it has not.

The NHS App holds two separate sets of contact information:

• NHS login contact details: the email address and phone number you use to log in to the NHS App. These are changed via Profile, Contact and login details, Login and security settings.
• NHS record contact details: the home address and other personal details held on your NHS record and used by your GP surgery, hospitals and other NHS services. These are viewed and potentially changed via Profile, Contact details, Home address.

NHS.uk states explicitly: "If you want to update other personal details such as your name or address, contact your GP surgery." Updating your NHS login email or phone number does not change your registered home address with your GP. The two are completely separate.

Does updating your GP also update your dentist and optician?

No. Your NHS GP surgery, your NHS dentist and your optician each hold your address independently on their own systems. Updating your address with your GP does not pass that information to your dentist or optician. Each must be notified separately.

This is a common assumption that catches people out after moving. Appointment reminders, recall letters and correspondence from your dentist and optician will continue going to your old address until each one is notified directly.

Notifying your GP alongside all your other providers

Updating your GP is one task on a long list. Moving home means notifying your council, HMRC, the DVLA, your bank, your energy supplier, your dentist, your optician and dozens more. None of them share information with each other or with your GP.

Moveinout is a UK change of address notification service covering over 9,000 organisations across 24 provider categories, including your GP, dentist and optician as separate notifications. You enter your details once, select who needs to know, and Moveinout dispatches notifications to each provider on your behalf. A dashboard shows which providers have been notified throughout your move.

What happens if you do not update your GP address?

• Missed correspondence: Appointment letters, test results, referral letters and prescription notifications all go to your old address. Missed letters mean missed appointments and delayed care.
• Home visit failures: If you need a home visit from a GP or community nurse, they will attend the wrong address. In an emergency this could be serious.
• NHS record inaccuracy: Your NHS record feeds into multiple services including hospitals, specialists and screening programmes. An incorrect address means correspondence from across the NHS goes to the wrong place.
• Continued registration at old address: If your new address is outside your current GP catchment area but you do not notify them or register elsewhere, you remain registered at your old surgery. This may cause problems when you need appointments, especially for services that require a registered GP.
• Fraud risk: NHS letters arriving at a former address containing your name and NHS number contribute to the previous occupier fraud risk that affects home movers.