Non-emergency patient transport services: the picture across Wales

A report has been published by the Board of Community Health Councils in Wales.

Published on behalf of each of the 7 CHCs in Wales, the report recognises the actions being taken by the NHS in Wales to improve its non-emergency patient transport services, but identifies that there is much more to do.

In particular, the report highlights that:

• Current arrangements are confusing and letting some people down. We hear regularly from people who have struggled to get to or from NHS services
• Transport arrangements need to keep pace with changes in the NHS as more care is delivered out of hospital and out of area – transport arrangements need to reflect these changes
• A clearer framework is needed so that people in vulnerable situations who need transport for non-medical reasons are treated equitably across Wales
• Staff and patients need clear information about what is available and how to access it – so that nobody slips through the net.