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Dr Phil Barber   14/05/2014 at 16:22

Choose and book has not been a success for a number of reasons. First, it de-personalises the working relationship between consultants and GP's, and disempowers local professional and administrative staff who should be owning and delivering the service, subject of course to accepted norms and standards. Second, the system itself is clunky, and the chore of nominating multiple referees is a turn-off. The most unsatisfactory feature of all is, however, the REDUCTION of real choice for patients and GP's, preventing them attending specific specialists with expertise in various sub-specialty disciplines, while pretending to increase choice by enabling referrals to distant providers of which they know nothing - surprise, surprise, most patients want to attend their local hospital, but to a specialist of their own or their GP's choosing. Where there are specialists in nearby hospitals who can better address their needs, GP's already had the freedom to refer, or should have had. Finally, a system of actually DIVERTING bona fide referrals from good GP's, to be assessed first by referee primary-care doctors who have no more expertise than they, has reduced confidence in the system as a whole, and further diminished trust and contact between primary and secondary care; even worse is the practice of triaging referred patients to non-medically qualified staff for initial mangement, a dangerous and probably unethical practice which often causes delay in the identification of serious illness, and is an insult to good primary-care diagnosticians seeking specialist help for their patients. Choose and Book may have been a missed opportunity, but it was certain to fail in the form it was introduced; it did nothing to increase real patient choice, and represented the absolute antithesis of a truly 'patient-centred service', that well known set of Emperor's new clothes.

Gillian Ivey   14/05/2014 at 17:52

Choose & Book has not always worked in my area. on at least 2 occasions I have made my choice and telephoned to book, to be told that I have to go on a waiting list to be able to use the system. that waiting list was around 8 weeks. clearly the hospital was turning the intended system upside down to be able to achieve targets. also, as a patient, how does one have the knowledge to choose the best venue / specialist without advice from the GP? I am a patient, most of us will be at some point in our lives. please make systems more patient-centred.

Drarvind Mistry   15/05/2014 at 10:17

I would be interested in finding out how much the new system is going to cost, and what pitfalls have been thought through (or not).

Roger Brooks   15/05/2014 at 23:52

I used choose and book thrice last year for knee surgery and ENT and each time it was extremely efficient and quick. Perhaps that is because it was initiated by a nurse practitioner who was comfortable with it. I do not accept the view that it gets in between the doctor , patient and consultant relationship. I only ever see my nominated doctor when we bump into each other in the wine department at the local supermarket. relationships are a sentimental thing of the past. do not abandon a system that would work if only recalcitrant doctors would give it a go.