ShortestWait

Choosing where you have NHS treatment

If your GP refers you for planned treatment in England, you can usually choose which hospital or clinic you go to. Waiting times differ a lot between hospitals, so the choice can make a real difference to how long you wait.

Your right to choose

When your GP refers you for a physical health condition, you usually have the legal right to choose the hospital or clinic for your first appointment with a consultant-led team. You can choose any provider in England that offers the treatment you need on the NHS, including many independent hospitals. Treatment there is free, just like any other NHS hospital.

The right does not apply in every case. Emergency and urgent care, maternity services, and care for people in prison or serving in the armed forces follow different rules. Mental health care has its own rules on choice. The NHS Choice Framework sets out the details.

How to use it

  1. Look up the waits. Search by postcode to see hospitals near you ranked by how long their patients are waiting for your kind of treatment.
  2. Talk to your GP. Tell them which hospital you would like to be referred to, or ask what options they can offer. Some areas use a referral service that books on the GP's behalf.
  3. Book your appointment. If you are referred through the NHS e-Referral Service, you can usually manage your booking online or by phone with the reference you are given.

If you are already waiting

If you have been waiting a long time, contact the hospital or your GP to ask whether you could be treated sooner somewhere else. The NHS Constitution says that you should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral, and that if this is not possible, the NHS should take reasonable steps to offer you suitable alternatives.

Things to weigh up

This guide is general information about how choice works in England. Figures on this site are for patients waiting at the end of August 2026. For advice about your own care, speak to your GP.