Has anyone used Choose and book

We didn't choose but when his appointment came through for his knee replacement it was to our local private hospital. It was done within 16 weeks and the care he received and the physio afterwards was excellent. We didn't know you could choose to go to a private hospital it was just the way it happened..

I have used choose and book a couple of times. It wasn't at our request but the letter arrived in the post with a choice of about 4 local NHS hospitals and on one occasion also included the local private hospital.
Wasn't aware anyone could reqyest private treatment and have that invoiced to the NHS. Perhaps speak to your gp again and explain the pain you aRe in.

I used Choose and Book for an ENT appointment. I had the options of 2 NHS hospitals with long waiting lists or a private hospital with a very short wait. Needless to say I opted for the private one and it worked out very well. The initial consultation was with a consultant and he wanted me to have an MRI scan - which was done the following week also at the private hospital. The whole experience was very civilised - even the parking was easier!
The only hitch was that my GP was late forwarding my notes to the hospital - not sure why - so the first appointment I was offered had to be postponed for 2 weeks

Our hospital seems to use choose and book by default, they send the form and an internet link to use if you wish. Choose and book is easy to use, you can select which hospital you want and which surgeon. It gives a guide to the waiting times for each option. You may be offered private hospitals, but not necessarily, I think they offer private hospitals where it is the cheaper option for them.

The option where you find your own private hospital and they bill the NHS is different, and to my mind not ethical. If you choose to bypass the NHS, you should pay the bill.

I agree Wobblybits. It was the choose and book option I was interested in. I have been seeing my consultant for the last 11 years, but because of my age ( I am now 63) he wouldn't offer an operation until my knee had reached a point where bone was on bone. It has been for the last three years, but no one has ever brought up the Choose and book option. No one seems able to explain the system clearly to me, so that is why I though that I would ask our sensible gransnetters. It's starting to make sense now, and I am trying to get hold of my consultants secretary to see if a private hospital is an option that will be offered. Our one local hospital has closed the waiting list for knee operations, and another one is closing a small orthopaedic ward in the New Year. It's all a bit worrying. I still believe in the NHS though.

This is how choose and book worked for me :-

My GP refereed me for knee replacement

In about 10 days i got a letter from the hospital offering me choose and book, they sent an online password etc or I could phone them.

I did it online

First I had to choose a hospital from a list (including private hospitals).

Then I had to choose a surgeon, again from a list.

Lastly, I could choose the date of my surgery from a calendar.

Job done.

At some point, possibly the first, it gave an estimate of the waiting time.

I chose the private hospital and surgeon that I had used before, but there were no dates available. When I phoned to query this, they said that all appointments had to be less than 6 weeks and the wait for the hospital/surgeon I wanted was 8 weeks, but I could request it in the notes section, which I did and got an appointment through within a week.

Choose and book is an NHS system and works pretty much as wobblybits has said. There are private and NHS hospitals on the list. Dont worry about doing the NHS out of money if you choose the private hospital. It will only be on the list available to you if it is part of the NHS list of options.

I'm sure the NHS offer private hospitals because they are a cheaper option than using a bed in a hospital with all the back up facilities available -- the private hospitals offer very competitive rate to the NHS, but as CG has said they do not have the ICU unit should you need it.

How Choose & Book is used varies in different parts of the country. When I worked in the NHS, it was a nightmare to be involved with and as a patient it just delays things. Here you cannot use the online part of it, it's just a confusing way of delaying things.
As for private hospitals, I've found that if the waiting list is long, your consultant or GP or referral service will just tell you the operation will be at a private hospital as the NHS one has long delays. In my case, I went to a NHS hospital out of area as recommended by my consultant.

I ca only comment on on the choose & book I used. Online it was simple, clear and straightforward and I received confirmation by return. Excellent. This was last year with North Essex. I certainly can't see that it delayed anything.