WRITTEN ON January 25th, 2007 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Save Time and Money, What do we want?

The Sunday Times says Patricia Hewitt is going to announce a patient feedback service.

PATIENTS are to be given the chance to write restaurant-style reviews of doctors and hospitals on a website being set up by the government. They will be able to post online praise or complaints about the quality of service and the standard of the premises.

Had to wait ages for your liver transplant to arrive? Was your GP surly in serving up your diagnosis? Patients will be able to vent their criticisms as consumers frequently do for hotels and restaurants and for products sold on Amazon.

The website, to be announced this week by Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, is to provide the public with a consumer-friendly guide to GPs’ surgeries and hospitals, encouraging them to “shop around” for the best treatment.

If this isnt Paul Hodgkin’s Patient Opinion I’m going to go completely ballistic.

Er, Wibbi this announcement for a new patient feedback website turns out to be an announcement for the existing excellent patient feedback website, Patient Opinion. Which just means The Sunday Times is too ignorant to have twigged about Patient Opinion. Par for the course for a Murdoch tabloid. The modest and excellent Dr Hodgkin never did much PR. Spin ain’t his thing.

* cheers Ruth