How making considered choices is giving power to patients
If your GP or other healthcare professional suggests you need to be referred to hospital, you might assume you’ll be told where to go. But you actually have a right to choose for yourself – and many patients find that exercising that right and taking ownership of their care has made a real difference to their experience and outlook.
“Patient Choice allows you to have a say in where you go for hospital treatment,” explains one such patient, Linda Cottrell. “It’s like being in the driver’s seat, deciding where you get your treatment to fit your preferences and needs.”
How it works
If your GP or other healthcare professional recommends you see a specialist, you usually have the right to choose where you receive your care. You can make your choice based on what matters most to you – like how far you are willing to travel, how long you might need to wait for an appointment or whether the hospital is close to friends and family who can support you during your recovery.
Your healthcare professional can help you decide or, if you want time to consider where to go, ask your GP practice to make the list available to you, so you can review it online or using the NHS App.
For Linda, who is 58 and has ulcerative colitis, the choice was straightforward. “My GP gave me a variety of different hospitals I could choose from, taking into account my priorities and my location,” she says.
“I personally wanted to be able to see someone whom I felt really understood what I was going through and had a depth of knowledge and study in this field. As an able-bodied person with a driving licence and access to the good public transport, I wasn’t fussed on distance.
“I made my choice right there during my appointment and my GP processed it for me straightaway.”
Alternative options
The options made available to you will likely include a mix of NHS hospitals that you’re already familiar with but could also include private or independent hospitals that provide services to the NHS, at no cost to you.
For Julia Knowles, who’s 51 and struggles with arthritis, this proved helpful. For her, the main priority was minimising the wait before her first outpatient appointment. “I just wanted to be seen quickly,” she explains. “My GP gave me a choice of going to my local NHS hospital or travelling a bit further to a private hospital that offered treatment on the NHS. I chose there and then to go to the private hospital. Being able to choose was fantastic.”
Reaping the benefits
Giving patients more control over where they receive their specialist care brings benefits for both them and for the NHS, as it ensures their treatment is really tailored to their needs and can help to relieve pressure on oversubscribed services.
