Guide to the NHS treatment pathway
The following information is applicable to patients living in England, and being treated by NHS England. No information provided should be taken as formal legal or medical advice.
While every person’s treatment pathway is different, we have compiled an outline of the typical NHS treatment pathway.
First point of contact
In the NHS, your first point of contact tends to be your local GP, walk-in clinics or accident & emergency (A&E). Normally issues can be treated on the day, with follow up appointments being arranged as needed.
However, sometimes more specialist care is required. In this scenario, a clinician will refer you to an appropriate specialist clinician or clinic. This will often be at your local hospital. At this point of referral, patients have the legal right to choice in the NHS.
This means that you have the right to request to be seen at your preferred location or by your preferred consultant-led team. For example, you can choose to be seen at a hospital further away but with shorter wait times - our research has found that waiting times can differ by more than 5 months between hospitals for the same treatment.
Scans and diagnostics
To determine whether you need to see a specialist, you may be referred for diagnostic scans or tests.
You may also be referred for tests/scans while waiting to see a specialist to help accelerate your diagnosis.
Lastly, while under the care of the specialist, they may refer you for further scans/tests to help confirm your diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan.
Consultations with specialists
Specialist clinicians’ expertise means they can be better placed to investigate symptoms, diagnose causes and decide on the appropriate treatments. Such specialists include cardiologists, dermatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, specialist nurses and many more. As your care progresses, you may be referred onwards to different specialists where this is appropriate.
Depending on the specific case, the specialist clinician may prescribe medication, order further tests as described above, or refer you for a procedure.
Procedures and operations
In many cases where medicines are unable to resolve issues, procedures can offer a solution. While ‘procedures’ can mean major surgery, it also includes less-intrusive outpatient procedures like endoscopies and skin biopsies. These procedures may be performed by the specialist who conducted the consultation, or another clinician who specialises in the procedure.
When in your medical interest, you may be asked to return for follow-up consultations or further procedures. This will be communicated to you by your medical team.
Recommended
Guide to complaints in the NHS
Switching GPs: A guide to finding the right one
How to use private health insurance
What are your rights in the NHS?
The right to choice in the NHS
Search services
Find and compare health services
NHS
Private
Our most searched for services
How it works
In 4 simple steps
FAQs
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own health services independently, and as a result have different policies and guidance in many instances. While we aim to expand our services to all four nations, currently our guides only apply to patients in England.
See all frequently asked questions