Patients have greater choice and control over how they receive their healthcare.
Bedfordshire Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) are committed to ensuring patients have the right to choose their healthcare provider in line with the NHS Constitution and NHS Choice Framework. This will allow you to be more involved and take control in decisions about your care.
You can view the choices available to NHS patients in the NHS Choice Framework and the NHS Choices website. This is also where you’ll find information about if you are a member of the armed forces or when you can’t choose, for example, if you need emergency care. We recommend that you make sure you know which options apply to you but the NHS Choice Framework provides information on choosing the following care and treatment:
- choice of GP
- choosing a hospital or consultant
- alternative provider and maximum waiting times
- choosing a mental health service
- choices in maternity services
- choices in end of life care.
Where your care needs require a physical health elective referral for a first outpatient appointment and any subsequent treatment that is required, to a consultant or a member of a consultant’s team, the patient can choose:
- Any clinically appropriate provider that holds a qualifying NHS Standard Contract with any ICB or NHS England, for the service which the patient needs as a result of the referral
- Any clinically appropriate team led by a named consultant employed or engaged by that provider.
The following links are intended to help you make an informed choice about your care needs, but we recommend you discuss this with your GP when they conclude a referral to a consultant is needed:
- a guide to specialty average waiting times in England
- services near you
- information on planned state healthcare treatment in an EU country or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
Accreditation of suppliers for new contracts for services.
If you are a provider of services that deliver care under the Patient Choice Regulations and are seeking a new contract for services, BLMK ICB has an accreditation process that will need to be followed. This process is intended to ensure providers meet the ICBs standards and capability to deliver quality care for our residents.
If you wish to require further detail about the accreditation process, please contact agem.patientchoiceblmk@nhs.net.