People seem to have made the assumption that we want to choose where we are cared for when ill. That we should be offered choice a long the patient pathway. Following extensive experience of receiving care in the last three years I can honestly say that most of the choices offered to me were false
All patient want is to be treated at the appropriate hospital. I have had personal experience of this and in one instance ended up being shunted about.
(I didn't have the expertise to inform the decision) and it felt more like a surgeon passing the buck than me choosing what was going to happen. What mattered more was that I understood what good looked like that I understood what was happening and who to ask for more help. When any of these three went awry then the safety and quality of healthcare I was receiving was less than good.
I want the choices to be real and informed. On making choices I don’t want to see resistance based on cost and or 'too hard to coordinate' and then risk and safeguarding to be used as a reason to refuse my choices. All too often patients’ rights are denied and blatant overuse of and misappropriation of the Mental Capacity Act will take place to allow the professional to decide. Healthy or positive risk isn’t welcomed, lets change the thinking and hand responsibility back to as many as we can.
I believe choice is a falsehood perpertrated by the Politicians !. I t depends on where you live. We need to raise standards all round.
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