Welcome to Patient Transport Service information. This section contains information regarding the changes to the eligibility criteria for Patient Transport Services (PTS) in the North West of England.
The Patient Transport Service throughout the North West is provided by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. It provides pre-planned non-urgent transport to and from hospital out-patient or clinic appointments. Although the vehicles used to transport patients are called ambulances, they should not be confused with the emergency ambulances which respond to 999 calls. The services outlined here are not part of the emergency service.
In line with requirements set out by the Department of Health, important changes have had to be made to the Patient Transport Service to ensure that those with a real medical need are able to receive assistance in getting to and from their hospital appointments.
Up until now, there have been variations throughout the region as to what criteria patients had to meet in order to qualify for transport. We have now introduced a fairer system which will mean that all patients who book transport with the PTS will be assessed in the same way, no matter where they live or where they book.
This new system will initially take effect in Bolton, Cumbria, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Central and Eastern Cheshire and East Lancashire from October 2010. It will then be extending to cover all of the North West by April 2011.
NHS Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus is responsible for booking patient transport journeys and will pass all bookings onto the ambulance service.
If you request transport to your appointment, you will be asked to complete a simple assessment which is a series of questions – no medical examination is required.
Once completed, the booking officer will immediately tell you if you are eligible for transport.
If you have any queries about the new assessments, please contact NHS Blackburn with Darwen Customer Care on FREEFONE 0800 0155330.
Frequently asked questions
Below is a series of questions and answers which we hope will tell you everything you need to know about the new booking system for patient transport services.
What is happening?
Following a comprehensive review of Patient Transport Services (PTS) across the North West over the last 18 months, the 24 PCTs agreed the need to improve access to the service and for consistent eligibility criteria for patients requesting ambulance transport to pre-planned clinic and hospital out-patient appointments. It is important to note that this in no way affects emergency ambulance provision.
Five ‘early adopter’ areas within the region will be testing a new eligibility assessment process starting in October 2010; this will then be widened to the whole of the North West by April 2011. This gives a six month period to assess the impact of the assessment across all patient groups. The early adopter sites are:
· NHS Bolton
· NHS Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale
· NHS Central & Eastern Cheshire
· NHS East Lancashire
· NHS Cumbria
Why is this happening?
Implementing a consistent eligibility criteria for the use of NWAS’ Patient Transport Service (PTS) originates from the Department of Health’s national policy document ‘Eligibility Criteria for Patient Transport Services.’ This document outlines the need for a standard approach to services throughout the country and states what criteria patients must meet in order to obtain ambulance transport to and from pre-planned clinic and hospital appointments.
PTS in the North West is provided by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and funded by the PCTs throughout the region. Since the merger of the four ambulance trusts in 2006, the service has had to work with almost 70 service level agreements. As NWAS’ lead commissioner, NHS Blackpool will now take overall responsibility for PTS in the North West from April 2011 and there will be one single contract based on the national standards. Ensuring consistent eligibility criteria throughout the region is a major part of that process.
What will happen to the people who are refused/do not meet the eligibility criteria?
Those who do not have a genuine need for ambulance transport, will be advised on what other means are available to them such as public transport. If, due to social circumstances, they are unable to meet the cost of travelling for the treatment, advice regarding the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme will be provided. PCTs are not able to provide transport for social reasons, and the criteria is based on medical need only.
If anyone is unhappy with the outcome of their assessment, and the matter cannot be resolved at the time of booking they will be advised to speak to Customer Care on FREEFONE 0800 0155330.
Why has the eligibility criteria not been applied before?
The North West region covers an area of 5,400 sq miles and encompasses 24 PCTs and 38 NHS hospital trusts. Previously individual PCTs commissioned PTS services independently and since the merger of the four ambulance trusts in the region, have continued to do so. For 18 months a comprehensive review has taken place which identified discrepancies in the criteria for eligibility and that work is now complete.
How do you determine what transport people are eligible for?
Eligible patients are those:
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Where the medical condition of the patient is such that they require the skills of support of PTS staff either on or after the journey and/or where it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery if they were to travel by any other means
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Where the patient’s condition impacts on their mobility to such an extent that they would be unable to access healthcare and/or it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery if they were to travel by any other means
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Recognised as a parent or guardian of a child being transported
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Recognised as carer of a vulnerable adult – discretionary provision for this would be agreed in advance when transport is booked
A patient’s eligibility for PTS should be determined either by a healthcare professional or by non-clinically qualified staff who are both:
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Clinically supervised and/or working within locally agreed protocols or guidelines
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Employed by the NHS or working under contract for the NHS
Why is the eligibility criteria only applying to new patients and not all, isn’t that unfair?
In all cases of changes to service provision, there has to be a starting point and currently the North West Ambulance Service undertakes over 2.3million PTS journeys every year. It would be impractical to assess the large numbers of patients we are currently providing a service to and therefore, it was felt that assessing new patients from October 2010 in the early adopter areas was the fairest option.
A new patient booking is classified as someone who has been referred for treatment for a new appointment, or a patient who has not received transport in the last three months. Over time, this criteria will be applied to all patients so that all those that travel using the Patient Transport Service have a genuine medical need.
What about the existing patients that have always had transport booked for them, will they have to go through this process too?
If the patient is currently using the service and has done so within the last three months, they are not required to go through the assessment. The assessment should only be carried out for patients who have never used the service before or who have not done so during the last three months at the time of booking.
