Patients needing elective treatment like a hip replacement can already choose from four local hospitals, 34 foundation trusts and 15 independent sector providers. However, by this summer there will be a choice of over 200 hospitals and treatment centers, Ms Hewitt announced. Furthermore, by the end of 2008, patients will be able to choose from any hospital that meets National Health Service (NHS) standards and costs.
The health secretary also announced a new website that will bring together information on all hospitals and treatment centers to empower patients to make more informed choices regarding their healthcare.
The website will allow members of the public and clinicians to access a range of information through one site that will act as a one-stop gateway to navigate NHS services.
The site is expected to be up and running this summer and will help consumers assess their own health risks, enable them to join discussion groups with people with the same condition and tell them what services are where and how to access them. It will also provide comparative information on dentists and GPs and allow people to see what patient survey and quality data have been collected locally.
In addition, the site will link to other relevant sources of information on conditions and treatments, such as NHS Direct online.
We are serious about patient choice, said Ms Hewitt, at a seminar on patient empowerment at the Social Market Foundation. Last month we announced the Partnership for Patients project, an innovative pilot project that allows the public to access patient choice options through broadband enabled library computers and librarians. We also announced new choosing your hospital booklets that help patients compare health care providers on a variety of criteria. This new super website takes patient choice one more step forward.
