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Right to hospital treatment
In an emergency a person can go directly to
the accident and emergency department of any
hospital. S/he can also use special clinics,
for example, for the treatment of sexually
transmitted diseases. In such cases s/he
does not need to be referred by her/his GP.
A situation will be considered an emergency
if the person has a health problem which
needs immediate attention, for example, a
severe asthma attack.
If a person needs an ambulance to get to
hospital in an emergency, the Patient's
Charter states that, in England, this should
arrive within 14 minutes in a urban area and
19 minutes in a rural area (18 minutes in
Wales and Scotland, or 21 minutes in a rural
area).
It is the responsibility of the hospital
providing the emergency treatment to meet
the cost of treatment. If emergency
admission as an in-patient is needed, the
cost will be met by the health authority, in
Scotland the health board, where the patient
lives.
Unless it is an emergency, a patient cannot
receive hospital treatment without being
referred by her/his GP.
Some health authorities have policies which
mean that certain services are not provided
free of charge. Common examples include
treatment for varicose veins, sex change
operations, reversals of sterilisation,
cosmetic surgery, removal of tattoos and
non-malignant lumps. Access to other forms
of treatment, for example, in-vitro
fertilisation, may be subject to the health
authority's, in Scotland the health boards,
priorities. |
How
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