Patient Transport Service :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Patient Transport Service - Information for Patients

The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) is now managing the Patient Transport Service in Lancashire, with the new ‘on the day’ service (covering mainly discharges from the wards, urgent care centres and emergency department) now operational:

Monday-Friday including Bank Holidays - 8am-8pm with the last booking being taken at 7pm

Saturday and Sunday - 10am-6pm with the last booking at 5pm

Outside of these times, hospital staff will be able to book transport for you where necessary.

Further information about the service can be found on the providers website.

You can ask to use the Patient Transport Service (PTS) if you have a medical or clinical condition which may stop you getting to your appointment by any other means. The service provides transportation for appointments between 08:00 hrs and 18:00 hrs, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Patients living in the Lancashire area telephone: 01772 904 919

Booking Transport

The clinic you are attending may book transport on your behalf. If not, you may need to ask your GP or clinic to provide you with the telephone number of where you can book your PTS.

Staff will ask you some simple questions to make sure you are eligible to use the service. You will need your NHS number to hand to make a booking and it is available from your GP.

Please make the call taker aware of your mobility and any additional needs you may have, so the right type of transport is provided for you. We can also provide special aids such as our Pictorial Handbook for patients who are hard of hearing or who experience language barriers. In order to help you, we need to be fully advised of your specific needs.

If you would like a transport booking reminder to be provided 3 days before your appointment, please make the booking centre aware of this.

If your appointment is cancelled or you need to amend your booking e.g. you only require transport home, please let the booking centre know as soon as possible.

Patients living in the Lancashire area telephone: 01772 904 919

Your Mobility

We provide a range of vehicle types and levels of care appropriate to your medical needs to ensure that you travel as safely and comfortably as possible. It is important to make the call taker aware of your mobility and any additional needs you may have (including walking frames, wheelchairs, steps at your home address), so that the right type of transport can be provided for you.

Escorts

If you have a physical or mental incapacity you may be entitled to take an escort and you should mention this to the booking centre. The escort may be either a professional, a relative/carer or a guide/hearing dog and their attendance is subject to meeting the assessment process mentioned above. Only one escort can travel with you on your journey.
Patients under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Before You Travel:

• If you have been given an appointment card or letter please show it to the ambulance crew and bring details of any medications that you need with you.
• Please be aware that you may be away from home for a number of hours. It is a good idea to bring with you a packed lunch, a drink, a newspaper or book to occupy yourself with and any medications that you may need during the day.

The Journey to Hospital/Clinic

• Please be ready to travel at least 90 minutes prior to your appointment time. When possible, we will give you a more specific estimated collection time at the point of booking.
• Please note that you may not necessarily have a direct journey to your destination. The vehicle you travel to your appointment in may have to collect other patients who are attending the same hospital as you or other hospitals in the surrounding areas.
• We are committed to respecting and maintaining the dignity of all our patients.
• Please remember there may be both male and female patients on the vehicle and ensure you are appropriately dressed to travel, particularly in cold weather.
• When you arrive at the hospital, we will escort and book you into the clinic you are attending.

PTS Shots 206

The Journey Home

• Once you have finished your appointment please tell the clinic that you have travelled with the Patient Transport Service and that you are ready to go home. The nursing staff will notify the PTS that you are ready and where you will be waiting for collection.
• You may have to wait for other patients who are scheduled to travel on the same vehicle that has been planned for your return journey.
• When you reach your homeward destination the transport staff will escort you to your front door and make sure you are safely inside
before leaving. Transport staff members are not allowed to drop you anywhere else other than the address supplied at the time your
ambulance was booked.

Quality Standards

• Appointments - We are contracted to ensure that 90% of all patients will arrive no more than 45 minutes early or 15 minutes after their actual appointment time. If you do arrive prior to your actual appointment time, you may still have to wait until your scheduled time to be
seen by a doctor. However, if youarrive up to 15 minutes after your actual appointment time, pleasedo not worry - you will still be seen by the doctor.

• Returning Home – Once your appointment is finished and we are notified that you are ready, we aim to collect 80% of patients within 60 minutes and 90% within 90 minutes.

For further information please see the leaflets and links on this page