DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 12 November 2008
Patients looking
for information about the choices available for their healthcare
will now be able to find it all on one NHS website.
NHS Choices and NHS Direct, two of the country's leading
health websites, are joining forces to provide the public with all
the health information they need in one place.
The public are now able to access all of the NHS's health
content from one easy to navigate website, NHS Choices at http://www.nhs.uk. The site will
offer trusted advice and information so the public can understand
and exercise their choice about health and healthcare.
From today, whether you are considering which hospital to choose
or checking what your symptoms might mean, all of the NHS's
knowledge and expertise will be available from a single website.
This move means the NHS will have one of the most comprehensive
online health information services in the world.
Health is one of the most searched for subjects on the internet
and it is crucial the NHS provides safe and accurate online
information to meet this demand by creating a single front door to
all its knowledge and services.
Now NHS Choices offers the public access to: self-help guides,
comparative information on hospitals, guides to long-term
conditions, practice profiles to help find GPs and much more.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw, said:
"By putting all our online health information on http://www.nhs.uk, the public will
easily be able to find out the most suitable health options for
them, from where to have their treatment to the best ways of
keeping fit and healthy".
"This single site will make it easier for the public to find
reliable health information quickly and will give relevant and
accurate advice that will help them to make their own decisions
and choices about their health and healthcare "
- Ends -
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact NHS Choices on 0207 972
1812
The introduction of free choice in April 08 means that
patients referred to see a specialist are themselves able to
choose where they are treated from any hospital that meets NHS
standards. The list includes many private hospitals as well as all
NHS providers. Between them offer everything from treatment to
your cataracts to open-heart surgery.
On the site, http://www.nhs.uk,
Patients can compare hospitals by clicking on the option
'compare hospitals', selecting their postcode and
treatment required.
Main features on the integrated NHS Choices, http://www.nhs.uk site include:
Hospital comparisons - data on how local hospitals are performing
on a series of clinical and non-clinical indicators including MRSA
rates, survival rates, car parking.
NHS Guides to long-term conditions - step by step guide from
prevention to living with a condition.
Health A-Z - more than 700 conditions and treatments explained
in words and videos.
Self help guide - online tools to help establish the extent of an
ailment and whether further medical support is needed.
Health Encyclopaedia - giving reliable information on more than
800 conditions and treatments.
Common Health Questions - allows users to obtain answers to
topical and frequently asked health questions
Online Enquiry Service - users can submit and receive answers to
non-emergency health questions
NHS blogs - online communities discussing what it involves to
live every day with a long-term condition. Find out from the
arthritis blog the best way to buy a car if you have arthritis.
Live Well - Magazine-style advice on how to stay fit and healthy
from patients and experts, including hundreds of videos and tools
on how to maintain your best health.
Pregnancy Care Planner - the first NHS one stop shop for
expectant parents.
Patient ratings - Leave comments on a hospitals and read what
others are saying.
Find a service - All the NHS services in one place, from GPs to dentists.
Behind the headlines - exclusive NHS news service provides expert
analysis on the days top medical stories.