Patients now offered a choice of NHS hospitals
From this month patients in England will be able to choose where and when they are treated, when they are referred to secondary care.
Patients will now be offered a choice of at least four hospitals or clinics
when they need to see a specialist.
The Department of Health has produced booklets to help patients choose
where they want to be treated, based on indicators including MRSA rates,
waiting times, cancelled operations and access. Patients will be given
the option to make their decision at a later date if they require more
time.
The DoH says that this choice is to be extended further with patients
being able to choose from any provider which meets NHS standards at NHS
costs by 2008.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt commented: “There are a range
of ways in which patients will access information and book their appointment,
including through the new ‘choose and book’ computer system,
over the phone or using the internet. Either way, when a patient leaves
the GP surgery they will have either made their choice or know exactly
what the next step will be to do so.”
The change coincides with publication of a survey into attitudes to choice
conducted by MORI on behalf of the DoH. The survey found that 68 per
cent of people aged 40 and over would choose a non-local hospital if
it could deliver treatment in half the time of their nearest NHS provider.
The
full results of the MORI survey can be accessed at www.dh.gov.uk |
Hospital Pharmacist