Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a patient’s right to choose is protected and extended.

Patients have a legal right to choose where they attend their first outpatient appointment when referred for consultant‑led care. The Government is committed to protecting and strengthening patients’ right to choose.

The Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, sets out plans to improve patient choice by empowering people to take control of their health by making the NHS App and Manage Your Referral website the default routes for patients to choose their provider, and improving information available to patients, such as waiting times. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care, that will ensure the National Health Service is receptive and reactive to patient preference, voice, and choice.

The Health Bill preserves and protects the existing patient choice duties.