Hi Folks
I understand that in the UK in the New Year Patients will have up to 5 choices of hospital to go to. If you are already on a waiting list this might be a good time to get to the specialist of your choice on the NHS. Enquire with your GP for details
Best
Alastair http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...icon_smile.gif

With any luck this is going to be a fantastic new system but I'd just add that it is worth doing your research on which specialist you want to see before seeing your GP (Alastair's FAQs are a Godsend in this respect). Because the system is new some GPs may not currently know very much about specialists outside of their own PCT. My GP's getting quite an education in that regard - I think she's almost hoping she will get another chronic back pain patient so she can show off her new knowledge http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...icon_smile.gif

All the information is here and I've left it in the FAQs as well


Reid Announces �95m Boost For E-Booking & Patient Choice, UK
Category: Public Health News
Article Date: 19 Jan 2005






UK Primary Care Trusts that offer a choice of hospital treatment to NHS patients through the electronic Choose and Book system will be rewarded under a new �95 million scheme announced today by Health Secretary John Reid.

A new package of funds will speed up the implementation of the Government's commitment that by 31 December all patients will be offered a choice of four or five providers, including the independent sector, when they are referred by their GP for a specialist appointment.

In a speech to the New Local Government Network in London, Mr. Reid said that the funds would be paid in stages to PCTs as GP practices installed computer systems to enable them to offer an electronic menu of choices to patients.

Mr Reid said:

"Being able to choose and book hospital appointments at the family doctors is a crucial factor in delivering choice.

"We have implemented the choice IT programme in stages. First we procured the equipment, second we made sure it worked, now we know the challenge is to roll out the service across the NHS.

"That is why since last Autumn, as planned, my department has intensified its efforts to engage with GPs. More than 2,500 GPs have already been involved in developing systems to support choice and booking, and this engagement will increase during this important next stage of implementation.

"We have improved access to A&E by providing financial incentives to successful organisations. Today I can announce I am setting up a similar scheme to reward Primary Care Trusts that enable family doctors to implement choose and book. This three stage scheme will be worth �95 million over two years.

"The first incentives will be available to Primary Care Trusts when family doctors install the Choose and Book system and offer choice menus to their patients.

"The second stage will be when they actually use the system with their patients for 50% of their hospital referrals - by no later than the end of October 2005.

"The third stage will be when family doctors use the system to offer 90% of patient referrals when the system is fully implemented in 2006."

Notes to editors:

1. Capital funds will be allocated to successful Primary Care Trusts, which will decide how to use the money to best meet locally-determined needs.

2. The reward scheme will operate in three stages:

a. To the end of June 2005
b. To the end of October 2005
c. During the course of 2006

3. The arrangement is modelled on a similar scheme in A&E last year, which rewarded those NHS trusts and ambulance trusts that ensured patients were seen and treated more quickly .

Media enquiries only to: David Hands on 020 7210 5896 or Jon Hibbs on
0207 210 5478.
GNNREF: 109095
Issued by : DOH Press Office


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- View the latest Public Health News.
- View all the latest Medical News Headlines.
- Get the latest medical news in your email every week with our newsletter.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact Our Medical News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: pressrelease@medicalnewstoday.com