How we can help you get treatment faster

In England, you have the legal right to choose which hospital you are referred to for your NHS treatment. This choice includes many NHS and private hospitals.

Given the significant variation in NHS treatment waiting times and quality of care ratings across England, taking your time and using Health Compare hospital search to review your options and to make enquiries before finalising your choice may:

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  Result in your treatment taking place months quicker
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  Allow you to identify a higher quality rated hospital
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  Secure a chosen consultant responsible for your treatment

If you are using the NHS GP practice that you are registered with

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  You don't have to choose a hospital for your NHS referral during your GP appointment. You can, within reason, take as much time as you wish to consider your options.
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  If you're not offered a choice, or to view the exceptions to this legal right, please click here.

If you want to try to see a different GP faster

click here to explore the options.

If you've already been referred for NHS treatment, then waiting for your treatment to be provided by your allocated hospital may well be the best course of action.

However, there is significant variation in NHS treatment waiting times and quality of care ratings across England:

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  Some people are treated months quicker than others
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  Approximately 50% of people are currently waiting for NHS treatment at hospitals rated good or outstanding, yet the other 50% are waiting at hospitals rated as requiring improvement or inadequate
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  Some manage to choose the consultant responsible for their treatment

This reality is so important because as well as your legal right to have your free NHS treatment at an NHS or private hospital of your choice* you also have the right to change hospitals if you've waited over 18 weeks **

After viewing Health Compare hospital search to see your options (locally or indeed across England if you were prepared to travel), you may wish to consider changing hospitals, perhaps to a higher quality rated hospital, or to be treated sooner.

I am interested in paying to have more control of exactly when I have my treatment.

Here are several key points that you may wish to consider in making a decision between self-pay and NHS funded treatment.

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  Convenience of specifying exact date
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  Likelihood of being treated sooner
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  Ability to request exact surgeon
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  Varying prices charged
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  Hospital performance on a variety of key measurements

You can use Health Compare to compare and investigate these factors, and make enquiries with one or more hospitals that you may be interested in, free of charge. One question will be the estimated price for the treatment, which may possibly require an initial consultation to confirm.

Insurance Covered Treatment

You can use our Health Compare Insurance search filter, to identify which hospitals provide treatment as part of a particular health insurance policy.

If you don’t currently have health insurance but wish to consider private health insurance options with a no obligation quote

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Expert advice if things have gone wrong (negligence) or if you’ve waited too long.

I have suffered clinical negligence, or my health has deteriorated due to waiting list delays.

Delayed treatment compensation claims have typically been one of the most common reasons for medical negligence claims against the NHS. They can be very serious as they can result in avoidable pain and suffering for patients who have had to wait. Undue waits can also make a medical condition much worse.

† Solicitors Regulation Authority