Your right to choose which hospital treats you
Reviewed 27 July 2026 · HospitalCheck editorial
In England, when your GP refers you for most planned (non-urgent) hospital care, you have a legal right to choose which hospital or clinic you go to. You can pick any provider in England that offers the treatment you need and meets NHS standards and costs — including, in many cases, an independent hospital that provides services to the NHS. A hospital further away with a shorter waiting list is a valid choice.
What the right covers
The right applies to your first appointment as an outpatient with a consultant-led team, and to many mental health services. It does not apply to urgent or emergency care, maternity services, or a small number of highly specialist services. If your referral is urgent — for example, a two-week suspected-cancer referral — getting seen quickly comes first, though you can still express a preference.
How to use it
- Tell your GP your preference at the point of referral. You can ask to be referred to a specific hospital, or ask which options have shorter waits.
- When you're referred through the NHS e-Referral Service, you can usually compare the hospitals offering your treatment and the typical waiting times before you book.
- If you're already waiting and the wait is long, you can ask your GP or the hospital whether you could be seen sooner somewhere else and moved to a shorter list.
How HospitalCheck helps
Use the waiting-time league tables to see which trusts are treating people fastest, check any hospital's profile for its waits, A&E performance, CQC rating and safety record, and take the specifics to your GP. The waiting times shown here come from NHS England's own monthly statistics.
HospitalCheck is independent and not affiliated with the NHS. This is general information, not medical or legal advice. For the official position, search “patient choice” on the NHS website. For urgent help call 111; in an emergency call 999.