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

This report gives the final results of around 75,000 responses to the seventh 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 May survey are:

• For the first time in the survey series, there was a reduction in the percentage of patients recalling being offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment: 44% in May, down from 48% in March but up from 30% in the first (May/June 2006) 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 and 29% in the May/June 2006 survey.
•  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, down from 36% in March but up from 20% in the May/June 2006 survey.
•  79% of patients who were offered choice were satisfied with the process and 5% were dissatisfied, similar to the March survey.
•  Location or transport considerations were given most often, by 71% of patients, as an important factor when choosing a hospital.

Provisional headline findings of the July 2007 survey are:

• 43% of patients recalled being offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment, compared with 44% in the May survey and 48% in the March survey; this is the second time that the survey results have shown a decrease in patients recall of choice being offered.
• 38% of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they had a choice of hospitals for their first appointment, the same as in May.
•  62% of patients who were aware of choice recalled being offered choice, whereas 30% of those not aware of choice recalled being offered it, compared with 63% and 33% respectively in the May survey.
• 28% of patients who were offered a choice of hospital were also offered a copy of the ‘Choosing your hospital’ booklet, compared with 29% in the May survey and 36% in the March survey. Again, July is the second time that the survey results have shown a decrease.

• Download Report on the National Patient Choice Survey - May 2007 England (PDF, 1009K)