This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Petition Mandate that patients are told if their NHS referral is to a private provider.
NHS patients are often not informed when their referral is to a private and not an NHS provider. They are entitled to choose who provides their care and should not be referred to the private sector by default. Patients have a choice under the NHS Constitution and they should be informed of this.
More details
A relative needed an Opthalmology opinion and so was referred. The referral choices were to one private company with a choice of five venues. An NHS option was not given despite being available locally. This was because a block of care had been purchased from this private company in advance. A referral to the NHS would have meant a second payment for this care. Challenge by the relative resulted in an NHS appointment. This practice is unfair to both patient and the NHS and should stop.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months