Improving transport for patients

OLDHAM patients needing non-emergency transport to and from treatment sessions are set to get a better service from today.

A review has led to a standardisation of the criteria for booking an ambulance. Patients will answer a series of questions when booking and those with a genuine medical need will get transport.

In the past, access has varied because the criteria have been applied differently in different areas.

Shauna Dixon, locality director of NHS Oldham said: “In these current times we need to make sure limited NHS resources are spent and used wisely.

“This means we need to ensure only patients with a real medical need use the patient transport services.”

PTS are mainly run by ambulance trusts and are provide free to those who are too ill or unable to travel to and from hospitals. The services use specially-adapted vehicles with basic medical supplies, or official ambulance trust cars for those not needing medical assistance.

Last week, figures revealed the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) spent the most on taxis for NHS patients out of all ambulance trusts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — £9.9m since April 2008 on more than 500,000 journeys across the region.