Patient Choice

Healthwatch Bolton, working with the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, gathered feedback from 65 local patients between December 2024 and March 2025 to understand people’s experiences of being offered a choice of provider when referred for specialist NHS care. Although NHS policy gives most patients the legal right to choose where they receive planned treatment, the report found this is not consistently happening in Bolton.

Key findings

• Only 23 out of 65 respondents said they had been offered any choice of provider.
• Many patients did not know they had a right to choose and said their GP did not mention alternatives.
• Several people reported being denied choice even when the treatment should have qualified under NHS Right to Choose.
• Many respondents experienced long waits, sometimes over a year, without being told they could choose a different provider with shorter waiting times.
• When people were offered choice:
  • They considered proximity to home, waiting times, clinical quality, and personal care needs.
  • Some appreciated the choice, but many found the booking portals confusing or unhelpful, especially when options listed had no available appointments.
  • Lack of accurate, real‑time information and absence of a contact number for help created frustration.
• Patients emphasised that choice should consider:
  • Travel and transport
  • Accessibility
  • Ability to use online systems
  • Personal circumstances (e.g., family support, mobility issues)

Broader issues highlighted

• Digital referral systems sometimes showed providers as available even when they had no appointments.
• Some patients were automatically referred without discussion, later receiving appointments with no opportunity to choose.
• Several wanted clearer, more transparent information—especially around waiting times and what different hospitals actually offer.
• Others wanted the option to attend providers outside their local area, for example to be closer to family.