Your choices in the NHS

In many cases, you have the legal right to choose where you receive your NHS treatment. The NHS is expanding the options available to help you make choices that best suit your needs, giving you greater control over your care and, hopefully, better outcomes.

The NHS constitution clearly states that 'patients will be at the heart of everything the NHS does', meaning every patient has the right to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Patients are also given the opportunity to compare options and make choices based on their individual needs.

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin is committed to ensuring patients are well-informed and actively involved in their care planning. We strive to provide as much choice as possible when accessing NHS services. Patient choice is currently supported by two sets of regulations.

You can find the choices available to NHS patients in the NHS Choice Framework. These include:

• Choosing a GP
• Choosing a hospital or consultant
• Choosing a mental health service
• Choices in maternity services
• Choices in end-of-life care

The framework also explains situations where the right to choose may not apply, such as when a patient:

• Is already receiving care following an elective referral for the same condition.
• Has been referred to a service that is commissioned by a local authority (not part of joint commissioning arrangement) or delivered through primary care.
• Is accessing urgent or emergency (crisis) care.
• Is serving as a member of the armed forces.
• Is a prisoner, on temporary release from prison, detained in hospital under Mental Health Act 1983 or another secure service.

More Information:

To access the STW ICB Choice Statement, click here

To access the Choosing Doctors Easy Read Leaflet, click here

To access the Choosing Your Hospital or Service Leaflet, click here

To access the Choosing Your Hospital or Service Easy Read Leaflet, click here

My Planned Care is an open-access, web-based platform designed to give you greater transparency on waiting times. It also provides helpful advice and support while you wait and helps you prepare for your hospital consultation, treatment, or surgery.

The platform includes information on waiting times at your hospital, as well as local services and support available during your wait.

If you're waiting for a hospital appointment, procedure, or treatment, you can now use My Planned Care to access average waiting times and find helpful advice while you wait.

The information is updated weekly and is accessible to everyone, including your carer, friends, family, and the NHS team supporting you.

There's no need to call your GP or hospital for updates on waiting times; everything you need is available on the My Planned Care website.

Once your referral has been processed, your hospital team will contact you as soon as they can.

Visit My Planned Care for The Midlands

The NHS App provides a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services. You can also access the same services via a web browser by logging into the NHS website.

To use the NHS App, you must be 13 or older and registered with a GP surgery in England. Find out more about who can use the NHS App.

What you can do with the NHS App

To get full access to the NHS App, you need to verify your identity. Once verified, you can:

• Order repeat prescriptions and choose a pharmacy to collect them from.
• Book and manage appointments.
• View your GP health record, including allergies and medications (if your GP has granted access, you can also see test results).
• Book and manage COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Register your organ donation decision.
• Choose how the NHS uses your data.
• View your NHS number (click here for information on finding out what your NHS number is).
• Use NHS 111 online to answer questions and get advice or medical help nearby.

Before verifying your identity, you can still use the NHS App to:

• Search trusted NHS information on hundreds of conditions and treatments.
• Find NHS services near you.

If you're unsure about the status of your referral or would like to check its progress, you can contact us through the dedicated Referral Management Centre (RMC) phone line for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin patients.

Once your referral has been submitted, the RMC team are able to:

• View and check the status of your referral (e.g., if more information is needed from your referring GP).
• Confirm whether your referral has been sent to your chosen provider or commissioned pathway.
• Provide updates on the progress of secondary care action on your referral.

The STW RMC department is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, excluding bank holidays.

Contact Information:

Phone: 03300 248 283
Email: stw.your-referral@nhs.net

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (NHS STW) is responsible for purchasing the majority of healthcare services for the local population. As NHS STW operates within a fixed budget, it must prioritise resources and focus on interventions that provide the greatest health benefits for the community.

As a result, some referrals or interventions that patients may want, and clinicians may recommend, cannot be funded. The goal is to ensure fairness and equity in access to NHS funding while complying with NHS England's Evidence Based Interventions statutory guidance.

The Value Based Commissioning Policy (VBCP) outlines which services are not routinely funded by NHS STW and specifies the criteria for funding certain referrals or interventions. Commissioners, general practitioners, NHS and non-NHS service providers treating patients of NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin are expected to implement and adhere to this policy and the referral, management and audit processes and pathways.

Here is the link to the VBC Policy.

You can find more information about our Value Based Commissioning Policy here

Fertility problems are common in the UK, affecting around one in seven couples. It is estimated that 80% of couples will conceive within one year if they have regular sexual intercourse without using contraception. Of those who do not conceive in the first year, about half will conceive in the second year, resulting in a cumulative pregnancy rate of over 90%. The remaining couples will be considered infertile and will need medical intervention to conceive.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), infertility is defined as:

• A woman of reproductive age not conceiving after one year of regular unprotected vaginal sexual intercourse, in the absence of any known cause of infertility.
• A woman of reproductive age who is using artificial insemination to conceive (with either partner or donor sperm) if she has not conceived after 6 cycles of treatment, in the absence of any known cause of infertility. (NICE 2013)

In some cases, infertility remains unexplained, with no known cause identified. NICE estimates that about 0.52% of women aged 18-39 will receive in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment each year.

This policy sets out the criteria for access to secondary and tertiary level fertility services (intrauterine insemination (IUI), in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)) for the population covered by STW ICB. Access to fertility services is governed by the same principles as all other services, namely clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and the outcomes of the ICB’s Commissioning needs assessments.

Read the STW ICB Infertility Policy

For more information, visit the STW website.

Very occasionally, a clinician may believe that a patient’s situation is so unique that they require a different treatment to others with the same condition. In these situations, clinicians with the appropriate clinical expertise may submit an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to NHS STW for treatment that is not routinely funded by NHS STW.

IFRs may be made in respect of NHS STW directly commissioned services and indeed any services, which are not commissioned. This route should only be used in exceptional circumstances and not as an alternative route to submitting a treatment for scrutiny through the Service Development process where there is likely to be a cohort (however small) of similar patients.

For more information on what qualifies as exceptional, please refer to the IFR Policy.

How to submit an IFR:

• An IFR must be submitted by the clinician who will be providing the patient’s treatment.
• The application should include full details of how the patient meets the criteria for clinical exceptionality, as outlined in the IFR policy.
• All supporting evidence that shows how the patient is exceptional within their cohort must be included with the application.

If a patient does not meet the criteria for clinical exceptionality as stated in the IFR policy, funding should not be requested through the IFR process.

The application form is available on the ICB website or can be found via this IFR form link

The completed form and any supporting evidence should be emailed to stwccgsafehaven@nhs.net

Musculoskeletal Services Shropshire and Telford (MSST) offer specialist multi-disciplinary team assessments and management to patients who suffer from musculoskeletal health problems that don't require hospital treatment.

Appointments are offered at a variety of locations across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Patients will either be seen by a therapist from the most suitable profession for their condition or, if further diagnostic work or expert opinion is needed, by an advanced practice clinician from the appropriate profession and specialty, or by one of our medics who specialise in musculoskeletal health problems.

All clinicians will have musculoskeletal expertise and skills, enabling them to assess and manage patients with musculoskeletal problems appropriately. This approach reduces the need for hospital or consultant referrals.

Their diagnostic expertise includes access to the following investigations, which may be necessary for patient assessment:

• Diagnostic ultrasound
• MRI
• Nerve conduction studies
• X-Ray
• CT-Scan
• Blood tests

Following assessment and diagnosis, treatment and management options available to the patient include:

• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• OT hand therapy
• Provision of orthotics
• Specialist pain care
• Joint or soft tissue injections – where required under ultrasound guidance
• Advice on self-management

Some patients may need to be referred onto hospital consultants such as Orthopaedics and Rheumatology. Patients who are likely to require surgery with be referred to the surgeons.

More information about the MSST service can be found here or here

For more information about the MSST service, you can visit the MSST Services page or read a feature about MSST Services here.

The Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) Service is available for patients who:

• Have a medical condition that prevents them from using other forms of transport to attend healthcare appointments.
• Require an escort, such as a parent with a child or a carer/health professional accompanying someone with a learning disability or mental health condition.

Patients will be assessed for eligibility. To view the eligibility criteria, please click here.

If you are eligible, to book transport for yourself or as a patient’s nominated representative, call 03007770077, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Recent changes to the healthcare system in England mean that if you live in England but are registered with a GP practice in Wales, your referral process to see a consultant will be different from residents in England.

This project aims to support patients living near the England-Wales border and ensure they have access to the healthcare they are entitled to.

The Referral Management Centre (RMC) handles these referrals. You can contact them by calling 03300 248 285.

We strive to provide the best care, but sometimes things may not go as planned. If you have any concerns, we encourage you to raise them with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) as soon as possible.

The Patient Services Team will then determine the best way to handle your complaint.

You can contact the team in the following ways:

• Phone: 01952 580407
• Email: stw.patientservices@nhs.net
• In writing:
  Patient Services Team
  NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
  Wellington Civic Offices
  Larkin Way, Tan Bank
  Wellington, Telford, TF1 1LX

Shropshire Telford and Wrekin patients - 03300 248283

Cross-border patients - 03300 248285

PALS service:

STW ICB – 01952 580407

RSH – 01743 261691

PRH - 01952 282888

RJAH - 01691 404606

Patient Transport - 03007770077

Language Line - 0845 310 9900

MSST - 0808 175 4001

Suspected cancer pathway - 01743 261000 Ext 2647

Switchboards:

SaTH – 01743 26100 or 01952 641222

RJAH – 01691 404000

New Cross – 01902 307999

Stoke - 01782 715444

Hereford - 01432 355444

Bridgnorth - 01746 762641

Whitchurch - 01948 666292

Why have I been referred?

Your GP will explain why a referral is being recommended. In most cases, it's because your GP needs a specialist's advice on how best to treat your condition. This might involve tests or investigations that cannot be done at your usual GP practice.

What will happen next?

Your GP surgery or Optician Practice will complete and send your referral to our Referral Management Centre (RMC). We will then contact you by phone or post with information on the next steps.

Why do I need to book my own appointment? Why can’t I just be sent one?

Since the introduction of the NHS Choice Framework, patients now have the legal right to be involved in decisions about where and when their care takes place. For certain appointments, you are entitled to have a discussion about your options for treatment. 

I haven’t heard from the hospital about my appointment yet. What should I do?

The Referral Management Centre can locate your referral even without a reference number, so there’s no need to contact your GP practice. If you haven't heard from the hospital, please contact us directly.

Where can I find more information about hospitals and my choice of treatment?

For details about your rights when choosing where to go for treatment, visit the Find a Hospital – NHS search page.

For questions about your referral, please contact our team using the information above found on this page.

My GP has referred me through the two-week wait/suspected cancer pathway. What happens next?

A 'two-week wait' or suspected cancer referral is sent directly to your local hospital. They will contact you to arrange your appointment.