Can I be referred to any hospital in the UK?
Yes.
If your GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, you have a legal right to choose which hospital or service you go to. This includes NHS and many private hospitals that provide services to the NHS.
You may also choose the team led by a particular consultant or named healthcare professional.
GP surgeries tend to refer to local hospitals and services. However if you want to be referred somewhere else in the country – or if you want your doctor to see if there is another hospital that can see you more quickly – ask your GP. If your GP thinks there is a clinical reason why you shouldn’t go somewhere else, they will tell you.
You can choose a hospital or service based on whatever matters most to you. This could include waiting times, quality of service, your previous experience, the opinions of other patients, the location or your GP’s recommendation.
Summary
We have described if you can be referred to any hospital in the UK. Yes. Not enough patients take up this choice.
Other resource
This is an NHS England leaflet about this issue
Last Reviewed on 5 July 2024