Abstract:
By December 2005 National Health Service (NHS) patients who may require elective
surgery will be offered a choice of four to five hospitals at the referral
stage, as part of the government’s vision for a responsive, patient-centric
health service. The Healthcare Management Research Group of Cranfield
Postgraduate Medical School has been working with Bedford Hospital NHS Trust to
evaluate the possible implications of patient choice, and this document provides
an overview of the current situation and predicted changes. During February and
March 2004 a number of meetings were held with key NHS stakeholders, including
Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and General
Practitioners (GPs) in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire,
Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire, and also the Department of Health in
London. Conclusions from these interviews form the core of the research and are
reinforced by a literature review of academic papers, news articles, books,
government guidelines and opinion surveys. In particular, the process by which
PCTs commission secondary care providers is assessed and the nine pilot schemes
are evaluated. The Department of Health’s report on pilots also provides a
valuable insight into the practicalities of offering choice. Lessons learned
from healthcare systems around the world are compared with current policy in the
NHS, and finally there is critique of the challenges to the implementation of
cho
