The government said patients already have a right to choose where they are treated but it is hoped doctors being required to give alternatives will increase usage.
Patients would not have to pay, with the NHS covering any private healthcare provider chosen. Low-income patients could receive help with travel costs under an existing scheme. Royal College of GPs chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said making better use of technology and giving patients more choice are moves"worth exploring".But she said the concept of giving patients choice over where they access hospital care"is not new" and risks"adding to workload in general practice, at a time when we need bureaucratic burdens to be cut".
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