About NHS Treatment Centres

What is an NHS Treatment Centre?

An NHS Treatment Centre is a hospital centre that specialises in surgery and diagnostic tests and provide care services that involve only a short stay in hospital. For example a cataracts operation, ear, nose or throat surgery or for longer stays, hip replacements. This is a government programme designed to reduce long hospital waiting lists and gives you a choice as to when and where to have your treatment. Independent care services providers such as Care UK invest in new premises or refurbish existing NHS hospital buildings to treat NHS patients referred to them by GPs. The facilities are often compared to private hospital facilities but offer free high quality care.

Who is eligible?

From April 2008 GPs began offering everyone a choice of where to have their planned surgical treatment throughout England. Through the Choose & Book scheme it became possible to book an appointment there and then, or for the patient to do their own research into the services offered by the various care providers, and book later.

How to choose an NHS Treatment Centre

People choose their Independent Sector Treatment Centre, or ISTC, for many different reasons. To learn more about ISTCs and Choose & Book in general please click here