HOW TO SEE THE SPECIALIST YOU WANT

IT’S a little-known fact, 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, as long as it has the necessary expertise.

Your GP can arrange a referral to the specialist you would like to see. You (and your doctor) can access the electronic national referral service, called the NHS e-Referral Service, which 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 practical reasons for not travelling too far; if you need hospital treatment, you may not want to be hundreds of miles away from family and friends.

Note that many of the specialists in our guides work in private practice, too, so seeing them privately may also be an option.