Variation In Waiting Times - you have the right to change.
Of course there is variation in the waiting times for each hospital and specialty – each hospital location is unique and they all face their own challenges. As a patient waiting to be seen, the challenges a hospital faces in delivering their services are not something you would be concerned with, but if you’re waiting upwards of 6 months for a service and another hospital is able to see you in 2 months, this is very much something that would be of interest.
Health Compare exists to highlight this variation and remind you as a patient in England, that if you’ve already been waiting more than 18 weeks for your treatment to begin – and there are 2.4 million people in this position – then you have the right to change provider. Also, if you’re at the start of your patient journey, you want to choose a provider that has the shortest waiting time and is the highest quality rating. The variation that exists means that you could be seen sooner if you’re prepared to travel further for your treatment.
Take Ophthalmology for example. Comparing NHS providers all with over 1,000 patients waiting, the range of waiting times starts at just over 6 weeks up to over 33 weeks - a range of 27 weeks.
As a patient, think about how far you're able to travel and whether your condition warrants choosing a provider that can see me sooner and whether you should consider going to a specialist provider. Moorfields Eye Hospital in London is by far the biggest treatment centre for Ophthalmology in England – they have over 40,000 patients waiting for treatment and an average waiting time of around 12 weeks. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham has nearly 14,000 patients waiting and an average waiting time of over 31 weeks. In this instance, if you're prepared to travel from Birmingham to London for your treatment you could be seen by a specialist organisation nearly 9 weeks faster. Bear in mind also that the average waiting time means that some patients are waiting far longer than 31 weeks.
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