The right to choose: NHS patients decide where they are treated based on what matters most to them

Dr Marjorie Gillespie, an Essex-based GP (Supplied)

When making decisions about healthcare, NHS patients are free to choose where they are treated based on what matters most to them, whether that is how far to travel, how long to wait, or how the provider is rated by other patients and the health and care regulator.

For Youssef, aged 52, that means being referred to a gastroenterologist who can see him the quickest to consider removing his gallbladder after he attended an appointment with his GP following an episode of stomach pains.

Youssef is happy to travel outside of his local area if it means shortening the waiting time, and after discussing this with his GP he is able to be seen by a specialist in three weeks.

For Mary, aged 79, who was experiencing hip pain, a different calculation was made. After a GP consultation, she was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon to see if she needed a hip replacement.

But because Mary needs to take a taxi to hospital and because she wants her family to visit her, she needs to be somewhere close to home.

After explaining this to her GP, she was referred to the NHS hospital closest to where she lives, only three miles from her home.

Youssef and Mary are able to benefit from this flexibility in treatment providers as patients have a legal right to choose where they would like to receive their care.

The referral is often made by a GP, but it could also be made by another healthcare professional, such as a nurse or physiotherapist.

It means that an individual does not have to go to the hospital closest to where they live if there are other factors that are more important to them.

Dr Marjorie Gillespie, an Essex-based GP, said: “If you give patients choice, they are more likely to attend their hospital appointment and more likely to be satisfied and have a positive outcome.

“You say to people what's important to you, is it getting it done quickly? Is it getting it done really close to you? Is it your home? Is it getting it done really close to your work? Picking a location and a day and a time that suits them for whatever reason, and sometimes people want a place that you wouldn't have thought of, but it's because that's where their family is.

“It's all about involving them at the time that we are in the consultation making that referral, and showing them that they have options.”

Having choice about healthcare improves patient experience and helps make sure NHS resources and capacity are used as effectively as possible.

During an appointment, a GP or other healthcare professional can see information on length of waiting lists and share a minimum of five, clinically appropriate, providers with patients as part of the decision-making process

Anya, aged 6, has been struggling with asthma for two years. Despite receiving various treatments from the GP, her condition is difficult to manage.

After a trip to the GP, Anya was referred to see a paediatric respiratory consultant, and Anya’s mother was shown which hospitals provide that service.

She was able to go away and research the best hospital for Anya and received all of the information at home through the NHS electronic referral system (eRS) before deciding on a provider.

The right to choose includes both NHS hospitals and independent sector hospitals if they provide services to the NHS.

However it only applies to routine referrals, so it doesn’t cover any referrals made as part of an accident or emergency, and members of the armed forces and prisoners are also unable to benefit from it.

Dr Roberto Tamsanguan, a GP in east London and national clinical adviser at NHS England (Supplied)

Dr Roberto Tamsanguan, a GP in Bromley by Bow, east London, and national clinical adviser at NHS England, said: “The principle behind it is a patient would contact their GP, and if their GP was unable to manage their care any further or if they needed hospital inputs, the patient would be given a choice of hospital provider which suits their needs.

“For example, as long as it’s in England, a patient can chose a location close to family or friends if that is what is important to them.”

The My Planned Care website is also helpful for waiting times and hospital rating information.

Visit nhs.co.uk/patientchoice to find out more about choice in the NHS.