Has anyone had a letter like this before? (Referral from a GP)

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I'm being referred to consultants by my GP and I've had a letter today to tell me that I need to book an appointment.

I've been given the option of 4 different hospitals to choose from, a booking reference number and password.

I've never seen a letter like it before and was wondering whether this is normal nowadays?

Hi Op

Completely the norm these days

Gives much greater flexibility and you can make your own plans choose hospital etc.

Yep. We’ve got that in our area.

Yes, normal.

Yes. You can phone or go online to book. It's a very useful system.

It's called "choose and book". It's been going for a while in some areas. It allows you to choose which hospital you want - one might be nearer work, or have a better reputation, or have better parking etc.

Yep - choose and book.i needed a hysteroscopy for coil placement and had the choice of local hospitals. I chose the quickest which happened to be a private hospital so winner!

As everyone else sais yes it is normal, i had the same a few years ago for a gastro referral and again last year for a colonoscopy referral

OP careful with this. I was offered a "choice of hospitals" when DD2 had a paeds referral. Only, on enquiry, it turned out that only our local hospital where she was born would have access to her records as they are still paper here. And this was a case where that mattered!

So just check what the deal is with transfer of notes.

Yes, this is "Choose and Book" and has been going for years. As PP gave said, it'll give you much more control over when and where you're seen. It's a great system.

It's choose and book. Been happening for at least 15 years here.

I got a ‘choose and book’ letter, which kindly explained that I had a choice of exactly one hospital, the local one. So that was useful.

But in principle, it seems to be a good idea, particularly if you live in a city with several hospitals.

Wish we had this! I got sent to a hospital 40 miles away and actually passed two much more local ones that had the departments/consultant I needed! I questioned and was told 'It's random booking'

Your choose and book is so much better.

I had to go to a hospital 20 miles away for the wound clinic, after my op. Joys of living in semi-rural area, I suppose. At that time there was a free shuttle bus, but I think it may have been cut. It took most of the day for a 10 min check up. Ridiculous.