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To enable them to work towards a more patient-centred service, the UK Department of Health is facilitating a national consultation exercise, asking patients, carers and staff how nine key areas can be made more responsive to the needs of patients:

• Maternity care
• Childrens health
• Primary care
• Emergency care
• Planned care
• Mental health
• People with continuing long term conditions
• Older people
• Other cross cutting themes such as information, self-care and access.

The questions for debate are:

• What choices do patients/users/carers want? What information and support would patients/users/carers need to exercise these choices?
• What changes in the system, or how people work, or communicate would be needed to create these choices and make health and social care more responsive?
• How could these choices be made fair for all?

This work will look at all aspects of the patient experience, including fast access, good information about illness, and a real choice in where and when and how they are treated.

This is an opportunity for you to have a voice, influencing the future direction and development of health and social care where it relates to the NHS so that patients will receive high-quality, co-ordinated care based around their specific needs.

This consultation is being led by Harry Cayton, a former CEO of the Alzheimer's Society, who is now the Department of Health's Director for Patients and the Public. You can submit your contribution to the Choice Consultation by 11 November 2003 in the following ways:

By Email: choiceconsultation@doh.gsi.gov.uk
Via the DoH website: www.doh.gov.uk/choiceconsultation
By post: Department of Health, Choice, Responsiveness and Equity Project Team, Room 533, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 0NS

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