Primary care trusts (PCTs) that offer a choice of hospital treatment to non-emergency patients through the electronic ‘choose and book’ system will be rewarded under a new £95m scheme announced today by health secretary, John Reid. A new package of funds is designed to speed up the implementation of the government’s commitment that by 31 December 2005 all elective patients will be offered a choice of four or five providers, including one from the independent sector, when they are referred by their GP for a specialist appointment. The announcement comes on the same day that a report from the National Audit Office highlighted the failure to engage GPs as one of the problems holding back the new electronic referral and booking system. E-booking is a critical component of the government’s policy of offering choice for people needing hospital treatment and part of a general policy of widening choice in public services. The announcement underlines Reid’s determination to see the agenda through. He said: "Being able to choose and book hospital appointments at the family doctors is a crucial factor in delivering choice. "We have implemented the choice IT programme in stages. First we procured the equipment, second we made sure it worked, now we know the challenge is to roll out the service across the NHS. "That is why since last Autumn, as planned, my department has intensified its efforts to engage with GPs. More than 2,500 GPs have already been involved in developing systems to support choice and booking, and this engagement will increase during this important next stage of implementation. “We have improved access to A&E by providing financial incentives to successful organisations. Today I can announce I am setting up a similar scheme to reward PCTs that enable family doctors to implement choose and book." The scheme, worth £95 million, over two years will work in three stages:
