Patient choice was a key part of the Labour government’s programme of reforms to improve the quality and efficiency of the NHS in England. Since April 2008, all patients referred by their GP for a non-urgent hospital appointment have had the choice to be treated at any NHS hospital or registered independent sector provider listed in a national directory of services. Patients have had a more limited choice of hospital since January 2006.

The King’s Fund worked with the Picker Institute, RAND Europe and Nancy Devlin at the Office of Health Economics to examine the implementation of patient choice policy and its impact on the quality of services in the NHS. This project was funded by the Department of Health as part of its Policy research programme.

Field work was conducted in four local health economies in England and included interviews with patients, GPs and senior staff in NHS and independent sector provider organisations, as well as a questionnaire sent to patients recently referred for treatment. (Early findings from this survey were published in Choice at the point of referral: Early results of a patient survey.)