North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus has revealed an exciting new service, which means local people can book their place in any NHS or approved private hospital anywhere in the UK. All local GP surgeries have access to an electronic booking system to facilitate this, and support is also provided by Grimsby Central Library.

The library’s IT facilities can be used free of charge (for the first 30 minutes) and library staff have been fully trained to use the system which will help them find a hospital place that best suits their needs.

From 1^st April this year, all patients receiving medical treatment were given the right to choose from any NHS-approved hospital in England or from a number of private hospitals, rather than having to stick to their local area.

Julie Wilson, Senior Commissioning Manager and Choice Lead from North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus explains:

“Choice is about making it easier and more convenient for patients to access the services that best suit their needs in their desired location.  Whether they make the choice based on waiting times, location, parking facilities or the reputation of the hospital, it is entirely up to them. Most are consulting their GP for advice on waiting times and specialist services, but extra information and advice is available through the NHS Choices website.

” Patients are still be able to go to their local hospital if they wish, but can now choose another hospital anywhere in the UK if that suits them and their personal circumstances, giving them more convenience and greater peace of mind.

Patients can access all this information on the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk and by typing in hospital postcodes, they can compare hospitals throughout England. Patients can also obtain this information from their local GP or practice staff, who will be able to advise patients on their choices.

By comparing hospitals, patients will be able to judge the best place to have their treatment against a number of criteria that are most important to them.

It will also mean that poor performing hospitals will have to raise their standards to attract more patients, as under the Health Service’s funding system, the funding follows the patient.

Free Choice was introduced by the NHS as surveys have consistently shown that patients want choice.  The 2005 British Social Attitudes survey revealed that 65% of patients said they wanted choice of treatment, 63% wanted a choice of hospital and 53% welcomed a choice of appointment time.  Studies have also shown that patients are looking for healthcare which is easy to access for them and their families, with high hygiene standards and low MRSA levels, where waiting times are reduced, with good parking and disabled facilities and where quality of care has been highly rated.

Julie Wilson Continued:

“Choice is vital to the delivery of a more efficient health service. People want to have greater control and be more involved in the decisions about their treatment. More choice is expected to help drive up quality standards, improving healthcare services across the NHS.”

For more information on NHS Choices visit www.nhs.uk.