New NHS patient choice scheme offers 5 options, but nursing shortages persist

Royal College of Nursing CE urges caution amidst new NHS patient choice pilot scheme rollout

"Patients deserve choice, but wherever they go they will find vacant nursing posts and overstretched services," responded Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, to the introduction of the new pilot scheme for out-of-hospital patient care.

The NHSE and the DHSC have announced a new pilot scheme commencing in autumn "offering patients a choice of where they receive out-of-hospital care".

Under the initiative, individuals requiring treatment outside of hospitals will have the opportunity to select from a range of providers across both the NHS and the independent sector.

Patients can select their care provider for in-hospital consultant-led services post-GP consultation, offering a choice from at least 5 providers with details on waiting times, distance, and quality.

The new pilots schemes are set to expand patient choice thereby enhancing outcomes and convenience to reduce waiting lists and improve the quality of healthcare services.

Considered as "the largest expansion of choice within the NHS in a decade" by the prime minister, the scheme under the expanded choice initiative offer endoscopy, nutrition, and podiatry, and mental health.

The Prime Minister highlighted that expanding patient choice will expedite access to necessary care and is integral to their strategy for reducing waiting lists.

He cited a significant reduction of nearly 200,000 since September as evidence of progress.

The NHSE also plans to collaborate with integrated care boards (ICBs) to launch these pilots locally, with participation expected from ICBs across the nation.

While the announcement has garnered some positive reactions from various stakeholders, including Chief Executive of the Patients Association, Rachel Power;

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Pat Cullen voiced concern over nurse staff.

She responded to the announcement stating, "today's announcement does nothing to change the 34,000 nurse vacancies in England's NHS.

"While patients are supposedly being given choice, nursing staff are choosing to leave the profession for jobs overseas where they are valued and paid fairly."

Emphasising workforce shortages, she stressed that patients will encounter “vacant nursing posts and overstretched services,” with nursing staff facing “relentless pressure and chronic shortages across every setting.”

Professor Cullen further asserted that reducing waiting lists necessitates direct investment in the nursing workforce, highlighting the need for substantial action rather than superficial measures.

Pilot services encompass hearing aid care, diagnostic tests like endoscopy, dietetics, ambulatory ECG, and podiatry.