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NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group

Clinicians commissioning healthcare for the people of Northumberland

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Newcastle Gateshead CCG

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  • Home
  • About us
    • Counter fraud
    • Executive members
    • Equality and diversity
    • Governing Body members
    • How we work
    • Northern CCG Joint Committee
    • North of Tyne area prescribing committee
    • Our Governing Body
    • Our Integrated Care System and Partnerships
    • Our vision and values
    • Primary care
    • Primary Care Commissioning Committee
    • Safeguarding
    • What is a CCG?
    • Who we work with
    • 360 degree view
  • Get involved
    • Changes to GP practices
    • Deciding together, delivering together (adult mental health services)
    • Health checks for people with serious mental illness
    • How to get involved
      • Visits to local NHS services
    • Involving young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities services
    • Listening to you: our past involvement work
      • Mental health services – adults
      • Mental health services – children and young people
      • Reviewing urgent care in Newcastle
    • Long-term conditions patient group
    • My NHS
    • Newcastle Pride
    • Patient participation groups
    • Supporting Primary Care Networks
    • Working with schools and colleges
    • Working with the deaf community
    • Young people’s mental health
    • Your voice, your health
    • You said, we did
  • Your health
    • Care and support planning for long-term conditions
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Children and young people
      • Do you need help with your mental health?
      • Free, safe, confidential support for young people
      • Share your experiences
      • Special educational needs and disabilities
      • Supporting wellbeing in schools
      • Under 18? Your healthcare rights
      • Worried about a poorly child?
    • Diabetes prevention
    • Find a service
    • Improving mental health services
    • InformationNOW
    • Need urgent healthcare?
    • Need help with your mental health?
    • NHS continuing healthcare
    • NHS Lung Health Checks
    • Patient choice
    • Personal health budgets
  • News
  • Events
    • Consultation and engagement events
    • Governing Body Meetings
    • Northern CCG joint committee meetings
    • Primary care commissioning committee meetings
  • Documents
    • Accessible information standard
    • Annual reports
    • Committees – terms of reference
    • Constitution and operational plans
    • Freedom of information disclosure log
    • Getting involved
    • Governance guides
    • Governing Body meeting papers
    • Northern CCG joint committee papers
    • Plans and policies
    • Primary Care Commissioning Committee papers
    • Procurement
    • Register of interests
    • Transparency reports
  • Contact us
    • Compliments and complaints
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Staff and patient smiling

Patient choice

If your GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have a legal right to choose which hospital or service you go to. This includes NHS and many private hospitals that provide services to the NHS. You may also choose your clinical team led by a consultant or named healthcare professional.

GP surgeries tend to refer to local hospitals and services, however if you want to be referred somewhere else in the country or if you want your doctor to see if there is another hospital that can see you more quickly, ask your GP. If your GP thinks there is a clinical reason why you shouldn’t go somewhere else, they will tell you.

You can choose a hospital or service based on whatever matters most to you – this could include waiting times, quality of service, your previous experience, the opinions of other patients, the location or your GP’s recommendation.

Find out more

There are a number of ways you can find out more about hospitals and services:

  • You can ask your GP about what might be the best choice for you, once you tell them what matters to you most
  • You can compare information about hospitals, services and consultants here. This website includes information about the quality of care, waiting times, parking and travel. You can also search according to the operations and treatments that the hospitals or services offer

Once I have made my choice, how do I book a hospital appointment?

You can book your appointment while you are at the surgery, via the NHS e-Referral service or over the phone. Use the shortlist of hospitals or services provided in your ‘appointment request’ letter.

You’ll be given a password and reference number that allows you to book your appointment online or over the phone. The shortlist is selected by your GP so ensure that you tell your GP during the appointment about your preferences.

Is choice available to everybody?

A choice of hospital or service is available to most patients and in most circumstances. There are some exceptions, for example if you are a member of the armed forces or if you need to be seen urgently.

You have a legal right to choose where you are referred to for your first outpatient appointment if:

  • Your GP needs to refer you for non-emergency treatment or tests
  • You are not a member of the armed forces, a prisoner or on temporary release from prison
  • You are not detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, in a secure hospital setting or in ‘other prescribed accommodation’

More information is available on the NHS website.

These leaflets also explain more about patient choice:

  • Patient choice leaflet
  • Patient choice leaflet – easy read version

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Your health

  • Your health
    • Care and support planning for long-term conditions
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Children and young people
      • Do you need help with your mental health?
      • Free, safe, confidential support for young people
      • Share your experiences
      • Special educational needs and disabilities
      • Supporting wellbeing in schools
      • Under 18? Your healthcare rights
      • Worried about a poorly child?
    • Diabetes prevention
    • Find a service
    • Improving mental health services
    • InformationNOW
    • Need urgent healthcare?
    • Need help with your mental health?
    • NHS continuing healthcare
    • NHS Lung Health Checks
    • Patient choice
    • Personal health budgets

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