HOW TO SEE THE SPECIALIST YOU WANT

IT’S a little-known secret but, under the NHS Constitution, patients in England have the right to choose where to receive their NHS treatment — which means you can ask to have your treatment in any hospital or clinic anywhere in the country, if it has the necessary expertise.

Your GP can help arrange a referral to the specialist you would like to see.

You (and your doctor) can access the electronic national appointments system, called the NHS e-Referral Service. This allows you to select your hospital or clinic, as well as the date and time of your first appointment. This is not a guarantee that you will see a specific consultant — and there may be a waiting list for that specialist.

You must also consider other, practical reasons for not travelling too far: if you need hospital treatment, you might not want to be hundreds of miles from family and friends.

It is worth noting that many of the specialists in our guides also work in private practice, so seeing them privately may be an option.