Consultation on opening up choice of GP practice

A public consultation looking at how to give patients a greater choice over which GP practice they can register with has been launched by health secretary Andy Burnham. The consultation is seeking views on the various options for enabling patients to register with the GP practice that best meets their needs, whether that is a practice near their work, near their child's school or simply a different practice near their home that offers more services or longer opening hours. It also sets out the potential implications for their care when patients opt to register a long way from where they live.
The consultation is looking for responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including GPs, PCTs and patients, and will run until the end of May 2010.

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Understanding health care markets: a PCT guide to market analysis and market management

The new NHS Constitution has at its centre the right of patients to choose. This choice is underpinned by competition between health care providers, competition that is intended to be a driving force for improved quality and efficiency. This guide is intended as a short introduction for PCTs to market analysis and market management.

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Engaging with Patients via NHS Choices

A new guide aimed at helping trusts maximise the benefits of the patient feedback facility on NHS CHoices has been launched.
The volume of patient feedback has risen significantly since the facility appeared on the home pageof NHS Choices. NHS Choices’ site traffic currently stands at 4 million visitors per month, and with allof NHS Direct’s online health content now on NHS Choices, this figure is expected to rise rapidly. It is expected therefore, that the level of patient feedback will continue to rise too.

NHS Choices - Mobile Phone Service

NHS Choices mobile is a joint service run by NHS Choices and DirectGov.
It provides access to the directory services in the NHS Choices website from any internet-enabled mobile phone. If you’re on the move or you don’t have access to a PC, you can use your phone to get details about a range of local NHS services. You can also use several interactive tools, for example to calculate your body mass index (BMI).
Services available
You can access nine directories by mobile phone: A&E, alcohol services, dentists, GPs, opticians, pharmacists, sexual health services, stop-smoking services, and walk-in centres. All of these directories contain information about NHS services in your local area.

Choice at referral: guidance and supporting information for 2008/9

Best practice guidance and information for referrers, providers and commissioners on how the roll-out of free choice in elective care in 2008/9 will operate. Find out more here.

Delivering on Meaningful Choice

This case study outlines South Staffordshire & Shropshire NHS FT’s Choice Project, which is an ambitious partnership project developed from 3 key elements: published commitment to deliver on meaningful choice to people who use and provide services; promise to work through partnerships with service users, the public and other organisations, and commitment to NHS through its Institute for Innovation and Improvement to test out models of speeding up service innovation with partners. Find out more here.