Introduction

NHS Choices is a comprehensive information service that helps to put you in control of your healthcare.

The service is intended to help you make choices about your health, from lifestyle decisions about things like smoking, drinking and exercise, through to the practical aspects of finding and using NHS services in England when you need them.

It draws together the knowledge and expertise of:

• the NHS Evidence: Health Information Resources (formerly National Library for Health),
• the Information Centre for Health and Social Care,
• the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and many other organisations.

Your comments

One of the main features of the NHS Choices website is 'your comments'. You can comment on hospitals and GP surgeries, saying what you did or didn't like and what you think could be improved. At County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust we read all of your comments posted on the website and aim to respond to each one as promptly as we can.

Compare hospitals

If you are referred to hospital to see a specialist or to have treatment, you can compare hospitals you might go to by various criteria covering such things as cleanliness, experience of a particular procedure and, in some cases, survival rates, through to car parking arrangements, general facilities, or availability of A&E departments.