A new report published by The King’s Fund shows that having a choice of hospitals is valued by the majority of patients. However, it is not yet operating as intended and has not so far acted as a lever to improve quality and increase competition.
The new report Patient choice: how patients choose and how providers respond – published jointly with the Picker Institute, RAND Europe and the Office of Health Economics – assesses how patient choice is operating based on research with patients, GPs and hospital providers. The research found that while 75% of patients want to choose where they are treated, only around half recall being offered a choice by their GPs. In addition, only 8% of those offered a choice recalled being offered the option of choosing a private provider. Most patients remain loyal to their local hospital (69% choose to be treated there). Previously having a bad experience of their local hospital is a major reason why patients choose to access care from an alternative provider. However, few patients are making use of performance data to inform their choices – just 4% of patients consulted the NHS Choices website – with most preferring to rely on their own experience or the advice of their GP. GPs said they were offering choice routinely but there was rarely a meaningful discussion of the options available.
