Patients will be given more choice and greater control over their own care, including through the NHS App.
- App and website will show different provider information to help patients choose where to go
- Research shows giving patients choice can cut up to 3 months off their waiting time - helping to deliver the Prime Minister’s promise to cut waiting lists
Patients will be empowered to choose where they receive their NHS care under new plans to help cut waiting lists, one of the Prime Minister’s 5 priorities.
A letter issued by the NHS today to local areas will require patients to be offered choice when clinically appropriate.
After speaking with their GP, patients will be able to view information for a minimum of 5 providers where possible, with information about waiting times, distance to travel and quality to help them make their choice. They will then be able to make a choice about where they go for treatment using the NHS App or website, based on their own circumstances.
Currently just 1 in 10 patients exercise their right to choose but research shows that giving patients choice can cut up to 3 months off their waiting time by selecting a different hospital in the same region.
During the pandemic, millions of people downloaded the NHS App to access services including the NHS COVID Pass. The plans announced today will expand the way that the NHS App and website are used to improve how patients choose to receive their care. Newly updated software to IT systems will also make the process easier for GPs when referring patients for treatment.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: "Empowering patients to choose where they receive treatment will help cut waiting lists, one of my 5 key priorities. Currently, just one in 10 patients make a choice about where they receive care. We want to change that by helping the NHS to offer patients a real choice while also giving patients the information they need to decide. Our aim is to create an NHS built around patients, where everyone has more control over the care they receive, wherever they live or whatever their health needs are."
Patients already on waiting lists will also benefit as, from October, those who have waited more than 40 weeks for an appointment but have not yet been given a treatment date, will be asked whether they want to switch hospitals, including one with a shorter wait, if possible and clinically appropriate. This builds on existing NHS ‘mutual aid’ arrangements between hospital trusts.
As the NHS continues to make progress in tackling the backlog, this threshold could be reduced over time, based on clinical advice, towards 18 weeks as fast as possible.
A new public awareness campaign will also encourage patients to exercise their right to choose and guidance has been provided to GP practices to support them to offer choice, with training available on using IT systems to make referrals.
The NHS App, which serves as a digital front door to the NHS, has over 32 million sign ups and receives around 75 million visits a month. Patients are already able to book and manage their GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions, and manage their hospital referrals through the app.
Significant progress has already been made in bringing down waiting lists for patients - the NHS successfully met the first target in the elective recovery plan to virtually eliminate waits of over 2 years and has cut 18-month waits by over 91% from the peak in September 2021.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: "Every patient should be able to easily choose where they go to receive treatment and today’s package will put that power in their hands. Millions of people downloaded the NHS App during the pandemic. Increasing use of this fantastic resource will enable them to exercise more choice and get access to essential information about the options for their care including journey time, length of wait and quality of service - all at the swipe of a smartphone screen. This will not only give patients more control over their own care but could also wipe months off their wait by finding a hospital or clinic with a shorter waiting list. Cutting waiting times is one of the government top 5 priorities and we are already making progress to tackle the backlog and are rolling out community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs to boost the numbers of tests, scans and operations."
Background
Integrated care boards have been asked to ensure travel is not a prohibitive factor. There is a longstanding policy in the NHS that if you are eligible you may be able to claim a refund for reasonable travel costs. That scheme - the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme - will continue to apply.
For patients who do not have access to technology, either their GP practice will speak to them and help select their provider, or they can call the National Referral Helpline who will be able to talk the patient through their shortlist and support finalising their choice and onward referral.
A report led by the Patients Association in partnership with the independent sector in July 2022 found that a patient would need to travel just 13.2 miles to go from one of the worst performing providers to one of the top performers. Doing so could save patients 14 weeks of waiting if they move from providers with an average waiting time of 22 weeks to one with an average of 8 weeks: ‘How patients exercising their right to choose can help clear the NHS elective backlog’.
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