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Choosing a hospital
How Does it Work?
Patient Choice is available when you visit your GP and your GP decides they need to refer you to a specialist in a hospital or clinic and it is your first outpatient appointment.
The NHS Choices website holds information about all hospitals in England to help you choose which hospital is the right one for you.
You can access this information by using the ‘Find and Compare’ section.
Choose the ‘Hospitals’ section and key in your postcode or if you have a preferred location key the postcode of the area you wish to find a hospital. A list of hospitals will be shown for you to shortlist and compare detailed information.
Your GP may use the choose and book system to book an appointment for you at a time and place convenient to you, or give to you a request form with a list of choices for you to go home and book via The Appointments Line or by using the internet.
You can use the NHS Choices website to look at information about hospitals including:
- Rates of infection
- Quality of the hospital environment
- Quality of food provided
- Car Parking
- Disabled access
- Signing services and translation services
- What patients say about their overall care at these hospitals
- Results from the national survey of inpatients
Once you have decided which hospital is right for you, talk to your GP. If you have been referred using the choose and book system you can discuss the soonest appointments at the hospitals of your choice with the choose and book Appointment Line, and they will book the appointment which is most convenient to you.
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