Doctify finds that only 20% of patients have chosen their provider and selected their consultant under the NHS Choice Framework.
Healthcare review platform Doctify has found that many patients in England are unaware of their rights under the NHS Choice Framework, and only 20% in England have exercised these rights before.
Under the Choice Framework for NHS England, patients have the right to choose their provider and select their consultant, and in some cases to receive faster treatment.
The survey insights revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of people in England were unaware of or unsure regarding their rights under the NHS Choice Framework.
“Under NHS law, you have the legal right to choose your healthcare provider at no extra cost. This right is guaranteed by the NHS Constitution in England, giving you control over who manages your care,” said Stephanie Eltz, chief executive and co-founder of Doctify.
She went on to say that this right applies when a GP, dentist, or optometrist refers you for elective care (non-emergency treatment), and it’s not limited to NHS services. Patients can also choose from private providers that have an NHS commissioning contract.
Unaware of choice
Data split analysis revealed that men were more likely to be aware of their rights (40% for men versus 35% for women), and those aged 25-34 were the age group with the highest acknowledgement of this. Awareness dropped below 30% for those aged over 55.
There was also a disparity between regions. In South England awareness stood at 40% and in Northern England at 37% while that slipped to 29% in South West England.
Overall, frequency of exercising these rights spanned between one and four occasions, with an average of 2.2 times. Gender split data, however, showed that when women did exercise this right, they did so (marginally) more frequently than their male counterparts – 2.3 times for women versus 2.1 times for men.
“Despite these rights being clear in the NHS Constitution, the reality is that many patients are unaware of the freedom they have to choose beyond local hospitals or the first available specialist, which means they often miss the opportunity to take charge of their healthcare and make decisions that best suit their needs,” said Eltz.
