Questions and answers
This section provides answers to the most frequently asked questions from professionals.
About Patient choice Referrals- How soon can I refer patients?
- How do I make a referral?
- Can my patient be treated at the weekend?
- Will my patient and I get confirmation of the appointment?
- Can I refer a patient more than once?
- Can I refer a patient to more than one Netcare patient choice hospital at a time?
- Does every Netcare patient choice hospital offer all types of surgery?
- How long will my patient have to wait?
- Can I reschedule a patient’s appointment once it is booked?
- Can my patient be accepted for any treatment?
- Can children be referred to the Netcare patient choice programme?
- Who will treat my patient?
- Where do I find out more about my chosen BMI hospital?
- What happens when my patient is discharged?
- What happens if my patient is unwell after being discharged?
- How will I know what treatment my patient has had?
- Can the consultant see my patient’s NHS medical records?
- Is transport available for patients?
- What if my patient changes his or her mind?
- Who pays?
- What if things go wrong?
About Patient choice
- What is patient choice?
Patient choice is an important part of the Department of Health’s strategy to increase choice about where patients are treated.
Since April 2007, Netcare has worked with its sister company, BMI Healthcare, to enable GPs to refer and book appointments at a number of BMI hospitals, for a wide range of elective procedures.
All treatment is free for NHS patients.
- How soon can I refer patients?
Our first hospitals will be able to accept patients from April 2007.
Our other hospitals will join the programme over the coming year. The programme director can give you further details of exact roll out dates (ecn@netcare.co.uk). - How do I make a referral?
All referrals can be made via the national Choose and Book system.
Netcare patient choice providers are all compliant with the Choose and Book technical requirements, so referrals can be made directly online.
If you are GP who doesn't have access to the Choose and Book system, you can still refer patients using traditional referral methods.
Netcare patient choice services will appear under each participating BMI hospital by local hospital name within Choose and Book.
For further guidance on using Choose and Book please use www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk
If you would like your patients to book their own appointment, please ask them to call the Choose and Book Appointment Line once the referral request has been generated and the patient has received their unique booking reference number and password. Further guidance can be found at www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk
Your PCT may also give advice and guidance on booking processes. - Can my patient be treated at the weekend?
The outpatient appointments for each treatment are published on Choose and Book. Some of these may occur at the weekend.
If your patient would like a weekend appointment, we are more likely to be able to provide them with one, if they can be flexible about the location. - Will my patient and I get confirmation of the appointment?
Once your patient has chosen the hospital, date and time for their appointment, and the acceptance process is completed at the receiving hospital, you will receive a copy of the patient’s appointment letter confirming the details of the appointment.
The letter will provide details about where they should go for their appointment and any instructions they need to follow in preparation for the appointment. - Can I refer a patient more than once?
Yes. You will be able to refer a patient for more than one condition on separate occasions.
For each treatment your patient will receive a prescribed care pathway based on best practice evidence produced by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (further details can be found at www.nice.org.uk ). - Can I refer a patient to more than one Netcare patient choice hospital at a time?
Yes. It may be that your patient requires the opinion and clinical management for different conditions available at different sites. - Does every Netcare patient choice hospital offer all types of surgery?
No. Each hospital publishes a directory of services on Choose and Book of the available services.
However, the Netcare patient choice hospitals do cover the majority of common elective surgical procedures.
You and your patient can choose the most suitable hospital in the programme. - How long will my patient have to wait?
Your patient can choose when and where they want to be treated.
Netcare will update the available appointment slots on the Choose and Book system every night. Once a slot is booked, it is ‘locked’ to prevent any double booking from occurring.
Your patient‘s wait is likely to be shorter if they can be flexible about when and where they can attend an appointment. - Can I reschedule a patient’s appointment once it is booked?
Yes. Appointments can be cancelled and new ones selected. - Can my patient be accepted for any treatment?
No. You will only be able to access the range of procedures available at each hospital as listed on Choose and Book. This will also detail all the procedures that are excluded.
As this is a first outpatient appointment and a diagnosis is often required, this range should be used as a guide.
If, after the first appointment, your patient requires a procedure outside the range available (this could either be down to hospital suitability, patients other co-morbidities or surgeons expertise) you will be given guidance about what to do. - Can children be referred to the Netcare patient choice programme?
No. We are not allowed to treat anyone under the age of 18. - Who will treat my patient?
Your patients will be treated by a team led by a consultant. The clinical staff, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and radiologists, will follow the appropriate care pathway for your patient’s condition. - Where do I find out more about my chosen BMI hospital?
Details of each hospital can be found at www.bmihealthcare.co.uk
The healthcare regulator the Healthcare Commission also publishes the latest inspection report for each hospital on its website
www.healthcarecommission.org
- What happens when my patient is discharged?
Discharge planning begins at admission. Your patient’s discharge requirements will be considered at each stage of the care pathway.
Your patient will only be discharged when the doctor confirms they are fit to be discharged following surgery. Depending on the type of procedure they have had, any requirements for wound dressing and/or stitch removal will be made before your patient is discharged.
If your patient requires ongoing medication they will be given seven days supply to ensure continuity of treatment. They will be asked to visit the GP surgery to get further supplies, if appropriate. - What happens if my patient is unwell after being discharged?
In the unlikely event that your patient experiences a problem, they will be advised to contact the hospital where they were treated.
Depending on the problem, they may be reassured over the telephone or asked to return to the hospital where they were treated.
If the patient’s symptoms are serious, they will be advised to call an ambulance or go to their nearest Accident & Emergency department.
- How will I know what treatment my patient has had?
You will be given a discharge letter detailing the treatment received and follow-up plans. Additional details will be provided where these are considered helpful. Each patient will be given a discharge summary when they leave the hospital for reference. - Can the consultant see my patient’s NHS medical records?
Yes. If the patient has existing NHS records that are relevant to the treatment they are receiving, the consultant will be able to request that their medical records are forwarded before treatment. - Is transport available for patients?
If your patient is entitled to transport as an NHS patient, then arrangements will be made for this to be available through the local NHS transport network.
Eligibility and the type of transport your patient is entitled to will be decided by their local primary care trust. - What if my patient changes his or her mind?
If the patient contacts you to cancel an appointment, you should follow the normal cancellation process on the Choose and Book system. This will automatically let the hospital know that your patient won't be coming. - Who pays?
The local primary care trust will pay Netcare under the terms of the patient choice contract. - What if things go wrong?
In the rare event that things go wrong or you feel that your patient needs to make a complaint, please ask to speak to the hospital’s Patient Liaison Officer who will try to ensure the issue is resolved straight away.
We take any concerns and complaints very seriously and expect the majority of problems to be resolved at a local level.
However, if a problem is not resolved satisfactorily, please contact the Programme Director (ecn@netcare.co.uk ) or alternatively, the Healthcare Commission by visiting their website www.healthcarecommission.org.uk
All hospitals in the patient choice programme are inspected by the Healthcare Commission, which regulates independent and NHS hospitals.