From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

Hypothetically speaking, what aspects of NHS treatment - other than
the ones such as emergency care, cancer treatment etc mentioned on
this .gov web site - might not be covered by the NHS Choice Framework?
My story is not actually hypothetical but because the episode is now
in the past, I wouldn't expect anything about it will be changed by
ULM's answers. I would however find it useful to have an appreciation
of what members here think ought to have happened.

<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs#choosing-where-to-go-for-your-first-appointment-as-an-outpatient>

The Story

On the advice of my GP practice, I took myself into my local hospital
A&E with a knee injury. I was examined, x-rayed and had an interview
with an A&E doctor who advised me to ask my GP to book follow-up
physiotherapy with the hospital's own physio unit.

My GP surgery instead gave me an internet link to enable me to book
treatment with a private MSK practice which has an NHS contract to
provide physio and other services to the patients of local GPs such as
mine. I queried this referral with both my own GP practice and the
hospital physio dept and expressed my preference for treatment by the
hospital unit. I got the same answer from each: the private practice
has the sole contract to provide this service to patients of my GP.

I think I ought to have had the opportunity to choose to be treated by
the hospital physio department. The specific reasons for my choice
don't seem relevant to this post but if anybody really wants to know
I'll explain them in a future post. Anyway, the point here is that it
was my choice and I believe I have a legal right to my choice under
the NHS Choice Framework!

Am I wrong to think that in this instance I ought to have been able to
choose?

Thanks,

Nick

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From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

On 16 Aug 2026 at 11:36:49 BST, "Nick Odell" <nickodell49@yahoo.ca> wrote:

Hypothetically speaking, what aspects of NHS treatment - other than
the ones such as emergency care, cancer treatment etc mentioned on
this .gov web site - might not be covered by the NHS Choice Framework?
My story is not actually hypothetical but because the episode is now
in the past, I wouldn't expect anything about it will be changed by
ULM's answers. I would however find it useful to have an appreciation
of what members here think ought to have happened.

<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs#choosing-where-to-go-for-your-first-appointment-as-an-outpatient>

The Story

On the advice of my GP practice, I took myself into my local hospital
A&E with a knee injury. I was examined, x-rayed and had an interview
with an A&E doctor who advised me to ask my GP to book follow-up physiotherapy with the hospital's own physio unit.

My GP surgery instead gave me an internet link to enable me to book
treatment with a private MSK practice which has an NHS contract to
provide physio and other services to the patients of local GPs such as
mine. I queried this referral with both my own GP practice and the
hospital physio dept and expressed my preference for treatment by the hospital unit. I got the same answer from each: the private practice
has the sole contract to provide this service to patients of my GP.

I think I ought to have had the opportunity to choose to be treated by
the hospital physio department. The specific reasons for my choice
don't seem relevant to this post but if anybody really wants to know
I'll explain them in a future post. Anyway, the point here is that it
was my choice and I believe I have a legal right to my choice under
the NHS Choice Framework!

Am I wrong to think that in this instance I ought to have been able to choose?

Thanks,

Nick

The way I read this is that the physio service was the only one that GP was contracted with, and you could only get a different service by choosing
another GP practice, or by being referred to a hospital consultant if that was clinically indicated. I don't think there is any compulsion on GPs to contract with a number of providers just so they can offer a choice, but they must
offer a choice if they have a range of contractors.

That's my interpretation, although I could be entirely wrong.
--

Roger Hayter

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From Newsgroup: uk.legal.moderated

On 11:36 16 Aug 2026, Nick Odell said:

Hypothetically speaking, what aspects of NHS treatment - other than
the ones such as emergency care, cancer treatment etc mentioned on
this .gov web site - might not be covered by the NHS Choice
Framework? My story is not actually hypothetical but because the
episode is now in the past, I wouldn't expect anything about it will
be changed by ULM's answers. I would however find it useful to have
an appreciation of what members here think ought to have happened.

<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice- framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available- to-me-in-the-nhs#choosing-where-to-go-for-your-first- appointment-as-an-outpatient>

The Story

On the advice of my GP practice, I took myself into my local hospital
A&E with a knee injury. I was examined, x-rayed and had an interview
with an A&E doctor who advised me to ask my GP to book follow-up physiotherapy with the hospital's own physio unit.

My GP surgery instead gave me an internet link to enable me to book treatment with a private MSK practice which has an NHS contract to
provide physio and other services to the patients of local GPs such
as mine. I queried this referral with both my own GP practice and the hospital physio dept and expressed my preference for treatment by the hospital unit. I got the same answer from each: the private practice
has the sole contract to provide this service to patients of my GP.

I think I ought to have had the opportunity to choose to be treated
by the hospital physio department. The specific reasons for my choice
don't seem relevant to this post but if anybody really wants to know
I'll explain them in a future post. Anyway, the point here is that it
was my choice and I believe I have a legal right to my choice under
the NHS Choice Framework!

Am I wrong to think that in this instance I ought to have been able
to choose?

Thanks,

Nick

Your experience is not quite the same as your link to the NHS Choice
Framework which is for "consultant-led treatment", where you can choose
the provider and/or clinical team. In your case, your GP remains the
doctor in charge who is ordering the treatment he decided and there is
no referral to another clinical team.

Depending on your particular health problem you might want to consider
if, in the first place, you are being referred to the right pathway. An alternative pathway might give you a choice of a different provider.
See some options in this discussion:

<https://www.reddit.com/r/nhs/comments/1u2wexq/is_my_gp_able_to_refer_me_to_anyone_other_than_a/>

Appropriate NHS routes for MSK problems have long been the subject of
debate. Different areas (served by a different NHS ICS/ICB) can have
different policies. This is NHS England guidance to ICSs for MSK:

<https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/adult-community-musculoskeletal-service-specification/#3-care-pathway>

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