Guides

Pages that answer the questions people ask most, each sourced, dated and linked to the figures.

• Your right to choose on the NHS
  Pick any hospital in England for NHS treatment, including independent hospitals the NHS pays for. With the ADHD and autism assessment route.
• NHS referrals: how long they take and how to chase one
  Day 0 to week 18 and beyond, the words on your letter, and the three calls to make when nothing arrives.
• How to complain about an NHS waiting time
  Ask, PALS, formal complaint, ombudsman: who, when, what to say, and a letter to adapt.
• What happens at A&E
  Triage, why people are seen out of order, what to bring, and the average wait in England.
• My Planned Care explained
  What NHS England's site shows, and what this one adds.
• What you can self-refer for on the NHS
  Maternity, physiotherapy, talking therapies and more, without a GP, and what still needs a referral.
• The health ombudsman
  The last step for an NHS complaint: what it can do, what to bring, how to apply.
• Average A&E waiting time in England
  The national four-hour figure this month, and the departments with the shortest and longest waits.
• Procedure waiting times
  Knee and hip replacement, cataract surgery, gallbladder removal, carpal tunnel and shoulder surgery: the specialty waits that cover them, by hospital.