Patient choice – what choices are available to you in your NHS care
NHS Lincolnshire ICB is committed to giving patient greater choice and control over how they receive their healthcare in line with the Government’s commitment.
This commitment is reflected in the NHS Constitution for England. The constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out:
- rights that patients, the public and staff are entitled to
- pledges that the NHS is committed to achieving
- responsibilities that the public, patients and staff owe to one another to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively
The constitution makes clear that “you have the right to make choices about the services commissioned by NHS bodies and to information to support these choices”. It also pledges to “inform you about the healthcare services available to you, locally and nationally” and to “offer you easily accessible, reliable and relevant information in a form you can understand, and support to use it […] to enable you to participate fully in your own healthcare decisions and to support you in making choices”.
This framework sets out some of the nationally set choices available to you in the NHS.
It explains:
- when you have choices about your health and care
- where to get more information to help you choose
- how to complain if you are not offered a choice
In some circumstances you have legal rights to choice and you must be given these choices by law. In other circumstances you do not have a legal right to choice but you should be offered choice about your care, depending on what is available locally. This is what the government has asked healthcare professionals to do. Find out more about what choices are available to you in your NHS care – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Single Point of Access – EACH
NHS Lincolnshire ICB provides a single point of access for patients called the ‘EACH’ (Elective Activity Coordination Hub, which is a service provided to assist with patient choice if you have been referred to Community Services and Hospitals (including Private) for NHS treatment. This does not include referrals for diagnostics (tests) or mental health.
Please see information below about transport options and help with travel costs.