Patients needing elective (planned) treatment will be offered a choice of at least four
treatment providers once their GP has decided that a referral is required. These providers could be NHS
trusts, foundation trusts, treatment centres, private hospitals or practitioners with a special interest
operating within primary care.
As well as choosing where they go, patients will be able to choose when they go by phoning an
appointments line, booking over the internet, or booking at their GP surgery.
In 2006, extended choice was introduced giving patients the option to be treated at a
Foundation Trust in another part of the country. Independent sector treatment centres also became choice
options during 2006. By 2008, patients in England can opt to choose any healthcare provider complying with NHS
standards.
