The ‘Choose and Book’ system, a program initiated by the NHS Connecting for Health scheme, is a service that allows patients and GPs to book appointments online, making specific hospital, time and date choices.
But according to reports, The British Medical Association published an article highlighting the surprisingly low figures for referrals that have been made through the service. The BMA reportedly used statistics collated by the Department of Health which revealed that only 67,820 referrals out of a potential 10 million had so far been made through the ‘Choose and Book’ system.
The BMA report is also said to focus on other problems and disincentives that GPs using the system have encountered, including various system failures.
With an implementation goal of 90% GP referral through ‘Choose and Book’ by March 2007, it looks as though the system has a long way to go but it becomes the preferred method of referral over existing manual booking systems.
