Your right to choose

Most people who need to go to hospital don’t want to have to travel too far. However, when someone needs specialist care, they are often happy to travel a bit further to be treated at a hospital with particular expertise.

Many of our patients choose to come to QVH from far afield because they know we are renowned for our expertise in, among other things, reconstructive surgery for breast, hand, eye, face, jaw, and complex or chronic wounds. We are also a centre for surgery for skin and head & neck cancers. We know that other patients would like to come to QVH, but are not aware that they are able to.

All patients referred to hospital to see a specialist have the right to choose which hospital they go to. This legal right, introduced in April 2009, lets patients choose from any hospital offering a suitable treatment that meets NHS standards.

If you are referred to hospital by your GP or another healthcare professional, ask about your choices. Visit www.choices.nhs.uk to find out where you can go for treatment and to compare hospitals on the things that matter most to you, such as clinical success rates, cleanliness and patient feedback.

There is lots of information about the services we offer on this website, including clinical success rates and consultant biographies.