Patient choice
Patient choice is at the heart of the NHS. We are committed to giving patients greater choice and control over how they receive their health care, in line with the NHS Constitution and the NHS Choice Framework.
We work with referrers, including GPs, to ensure they are aware of patients’ right to choose, and that information is available at the point of referral to ensure that an informed choice can be made.
As set out in the NHS Constitution, you have a number of choices concerning care and treatment as a patient. These choices include:
- The right to choose your GP surgery, and to be accepted by that practice unless there are reasonable grounds to refuse, in which case you will be informed of those reasons
- The right to express a preference of using a particular doctor within your GP surgery, and for the surgery to try to comply
- The right to choose which hospital or service to go to if your GP needs to refer you to see a specialist for a physical or mental health condition as defined in National Guidance
- The right to be involved in decisions about your healthcare and to be given the information you need to do this
To find out more about patient choice, please visit the NHS website.