Section 3 of the NHS Choice Framework explains that patients have the right to choose where to go for their first consultant-led outpatient appointment for routine (non-urgent) care. This means, when your doctor decides that you need a specialist opinion, you have the choice of which hospital trust you would like to go to. The majority of our referrals are sent to our local trusts which have their main hospital sites in Oxford, Reading and Swindon: Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford Health, Royal Berkshire and Great Western Hospitals. These are not your only choices. Some people may prefer to go to a provider near where they work or near a relative, or they may make their choice based on waiting list data or its reputation. These choices are yours to make but please consider that you are making the choice not only for the first outpatient appointment but also any subsequent appointments/treatment.
When one of our doctors refers you to a hospital consultant-led service for routine review, they will talk to you about where you can go and what choice you have. If you are at all concerned that you did not get a choice or have made the wrong choice, please get in contact with us as soon as possible.