This new approach to your care is a direct response to feedback not only from you, but also from your local doctors and managers. They can see that achieving waiting time targets for individual parts of your care does not reflect your experience of the NHS as a whole, and that your treatment can feel disjointed, so they have asked for improvements to be made.
Improving your experience as a patient
By ensuring you receive the right care, in the right place, and reducing the time you wait for treatment and care, your experience of the NHS will be improved.
More treatments available closer to home
Some treatments and diagnostic tests can be provided just as effectively in locations other than hospital. For example, specialist clinics within your local GP surgery can provide minor treatments such as mole removals or pain relief for arthritis. More services closer to home is something that patients have asked the NHS to provide and something that we’re committed to delivering. Services like this will be more convenient for you, more efficient for the NHS and will help you to be treated more quickly.
More choice of hospitals
Giving you more choice and control over your treatment and care is a priority for the NHS.
In most cases your GP will be able to offer you a choice of hospitals for your first appointment.