Closed petition Mandate that patients are told if their NHS referral is to a private provider.

Closed on 3 April 2018

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.

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.