The NHS is committed to giving patients greater choice and control over how they receive their healthcare and is working hard to improve opportunities for patients to make informed choices about their care that best suit their needs and circumstances.
It is there to improve our health and wellbeing, supporting us to keep mentally and physically well, to get better when we are ill and, when we cannot fully recover, to stay as well as we can to the end of our lives.
The NHS is founded on a common set of principles and values that bind together the communities and people it serves – patients and public – and the staff who work for it.
You can read more about what the NHS stands for in the NHS Constitution.
Black Country Health Care NHS Foundation Trust patient choice policy statement
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is committed to giving patients greater choice and control over how they receive their health care, in line with the NHS Constitution and the NHS Choice Framework.
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will work with referrers, including GPs, to ensure they are aware of patients’ right to choose, and that appropriate information is available at the point of referral to ensure that an informed choice can be made.
As set out in the NHS Constitution, you have a number of choices concerning care and treatment as a patient. These choices include but are not limited to:
- The right to choose which hospital or service to go to if your GP needs to refer you to see a specialist for a physical or mental health condition as defined in National Guidance
- The right to be involved in decisions about your healthcare and to be given the information you need to do this
- These are not the only choices you can make. There are choices in your lifestyle, decisions about your treatment, and even the way in which you interact with doctors and other health professionals that can all affect your health.
To get the full benefit of the health service it is essential to give careful consideration of these other choices too.
To find out more please visit Your choices in the NHS - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
Useful links
You can view the Black Country ICB's Patient Choice webpage.
For more information about patient choice, see this patient leaflet (england.nhs.uk). You can also view this patient choice easy read guide (england.nhs.uk).
Go to nhs.uk to read information on accessing mental health services