OFFERING patients a choice of hospitals for treatment is a waste of money that could be better spent on vital NHS services, according to an Oxford GP.

Dr Tia MacGregor, of St Clements Surgery, said not one of her patients had ever taken up the opportunity to have their care outside the city - even though most are entitled to pick from a list of at least four hospitals.

Her comments came as a Department of Health survey showed more than two thirds of Oxfordshire people who needed treatment were now offered a choice by their GP before their referral, compared to less than half in the previous six months.

In March, the latest survey, 540 patients were questioned and 67 per cent said they had been asked to choose a hospital to go to. The previous September, a similar survey showed only 48 per cent were given a choice.

But Dr MacGregor said: "I've given up talking about choice to my patients because I've not met one who wants to go anywhere but their local hospital in Oxford.

"I give them the booklet, but when I say they could go to Southampton if they wanted to, they just look at me strangely. They don't even want to go to The Horton, in Banbury, if they live in Oxford.

"There's a great deal of trust in the local hospitals and they're convenient. Patients want a good service. We should be offering quality locally rather than a choice of ten different hospitals."

Patients who need treatment have been entitled to choose to have their care at one of four or more hospitals since January 2006.

But Dr MacGregor said: "Patient choice and these monthly surveys about patient choice are a waste of time and money which could be spent on something like a new MRI scanner or counsellors - so I don't have to tell patients they have to wait six months for care.

"We shouldn't be asking patients whether they were offered patient choice, but whether they wanted patient choice."

Her comments follow similar remarks from Oxfordshire GPs Dr Prit Buttar, of Abingdon's Stert Street Surgery, and Dr Joe McManners, of Manor Surgery, Oxford.

But Rachel Martin, head of planning and programmes at Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, which is responsible for implementing patient choice, thanked GPs for making the system work smoothly. We're delighted our patients are being offered more control over when and where they receive their hospital treatment."