A total of 4% of patients used the NHS Choices website as a source of information to choose their hospital according to the latest Department of Health survey.
The 11th National Patient Choice Survey, conducted in January this year by IPSOS Mori, found that GPs were the most popular source of information on choice of hospital (51%), following by patients relying on their own experience or that of family and friends (33%) while a booklet was referred to by 9% and the DH’s flagship website by 4%.
The survey of 72,000 patients also showed that the percentage of patients who recalled being offered a choice for their first outpatient appointment was 46%, a figure which has changed little over the last 12 months. In November the figure was 44%, in March 2007 48% and in January 2007 a total of 45% of patients recalled being offered a choice.
Provisional figures for March this year show little rise with 47% of patients reporting that they were offered a choice of hospital.
The DH report says that although the latest figures are still below March 2007 figures the survey did find a rising percentage of patients who were aware of their right to choice.
In the latest survey 43% of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they had a choice of hospitals for their first appointment compared to 41% in November.
Use of NHS Choices, which is currently the subject of an £80m procurement, has remained static at 4% over the last two surveys in November 2007 and January 2008. Before that the survey did not question patients about use of the website.
The survey found that in 20% of cases patients’ appointments were booked on screen by a GP or other practice team member, 3% of patients used the internet and 31% telephoned an appointments line. A total of 37% of patients booked their first hospital appointment when the hospital contacted them following a letter from their GP, down from 39% in the November survey.
Overall 67% of patients were able to go the hospital they wanted with a further 23% having no preference and 7% unable to go where they wanted. Hospital cleanliness and low infection rates were selected by more than three quarters of patients as an important factor when choosing a hospital.
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