NHS can deliver on C+B, says new director

The NHS can deliver the government’s target of making 90% of first outpatient appointments through Choose and Book, according to Connecting for Health’s newly-appointed medical director for the e-booking system.

Dr Stephen Miller said that although uptake has “got stuck a little bit” on 40% he believes the 90% target is achievable.

He told EHI Primary Care: “If we hadn’t achieved 90% anywhere then I might ask whether it can be done. But since certain areas of the country are achieving 90% then why can’t anyone?”

Dr Miller identified a range of factors necessary to increase uptake including listening to people’s concerns about Choose and Book, improving local NHS leadership in areas with low uptake and convincing users that the system was continually developing.

He added: “A lot of users don’t understand that for over three years we have been listening to users all the time.”

Release four of Choose and Book, likely to be delivered in March or April 2008, will allow searching by SNOMED codes as well as specialty and clinic type.

Dr Miller said: “One of the criticisms has been that users are unable to find the services that they are looking for and I think we underestimated how difficult it would be.”

The directory of services will also be amended to enable patients to choose to be referred to a hospital anywhere in the country to deliver the government’s policy on free choice at referral which comes into effect in April 2008.

Dr Miller said he thought this would be particularly useful for patients seeking treatment near where their relatives lived and for those who worked away from home and might choose to be treated near their workplace.

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