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Report of the National Patient Choice Survey, England - March 2007

This report gives the final results of 75,290 responses to the sixth national patient choice survey commissioned to assess the implementation of choice at PCT level. The series of surveys, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Department, monitor patient awareness of choice and recall of having been offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment. They were designed to provide a national overview of choice and summary results at PCT level.

The main findings of the March survey are:

• The percentages of patients aware of choice, offered choice and offered the Choice booklet continues to rise.
• More patients recalled being offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment: 48% in March, up from 45% in the January survey and 30% in the first (May/June)survey.
• 37% of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they had a choice of hospitals for their first appointment, up from 6% in January and 29% in the May/June survey.
• 66% of patients who were aware of choice recalled being offered choice, whereas 38% of those not aware of choice recalled being offered it, compared with 64% and 34% respectively in the January survey.
• 36% of patients who were offered a choice of hospital were also offered a copy of the ‘Choosing your hospital’ booklet, up from  32% in January and 20% in the May/June survey.
• 78% of patients who were offered choice were satisfied with the process and 5% were dissatisfied, similar to the January survey.
• Location or transport considerations were given most often, by 66% of patients, as an important factor when choosing a hospital.

Provisional headline findings of the May 2007 survey are:

• 44% of patients recalled being offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment, compared with 48% in the March survey.
• 38% of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they had a choice of hospitals for their first appointment, up from 37% in March.
• 63% of patients who were aware of choice recalled being offered choice, whereas 33% of those not aware of choice recalled being offered it, compared with 66% and 38% respectively in the March survey.
• 29% of patients who were offered a choice of hospital were also offered a copy of the ‘Choosing your hospital’ booklet, compared with 36% in the March survey.

• Download March 2007 Report in Portable Document Format (PDF, 1198K)