Some schemes give patients more say in
their treatment – a good idea or not?
(Cadmium)
How can I choose the best healthcare for me?
There is no doubt that patients have more control over their
treatment than ever before. As well as a choice of hospital, we
will also be offered a choice of date and time for our appointment.
There is more information to help us make these choices, with
league tables on MRSA infection rates and clinical performance.
A number of schemes aim to give patients more say in how we are
treated. The Expert Patients Programme gives long-term patients
skills to manage and control their treatment. And the NHS Direct
website allows you to enter your symptoms and search for treatments
to see whether it’s worth going to your doctor or calling their
helpline.
But is this the route to better healthcare? Choice can be a curse
rather than a blessing. After all, we may not want to learn about
the qualifications of a hospital’s consultants before we can be
treated. Sometimes we just want our illness sorted out as quickly
and as efficiently as possible by medical experts. The rhetoric
of choice can be a way in which officials offload responsibility
for creating decent healthcare. If the hospital you chose isn’t
up to scratch, well, you chose it. The Patients Association is
now telling patients to bring their own medical wipes and scrub
up before they go into hospital to protect against MRSA. Why should
patients take the rap for dirty hospitals? |
