Getting patient transport?

Agree with Maddyone, can you not get a taxi to appointments?

LaCrepescule

Agree with Maddyone, can you not get a taxi to appointments?

It's not so easy if someone is severely disabled.

Should a taxi driver be expected to help a severely disabled person from their home into the car and from the hospital car park into the correct department for their treatment/appointment? What if the person should fall when being helped? What about the public liability and insurance of the taxi driver?

Callistemon21

LaCrepescule

Agree with Maddyone, can you not get a taxi to appointments?

It's not so easy if someone is severely disabled.

Should a taxi driver be expected to help a severely disabled person from their home into the car and from the hospital car park into the correct department for their treatment/appointment? What if the person should fall when being helped? What about the public liability and insurance of the taxi driver?

That’s exactly what Patient Transport Services are for. Ring PALS at the hospital responsible for his care and ask them who the PTS providers would be. Sao times it’s different depending on starting location.

👍

I hope AlieOxon has sorted it out now, but if not here is the link again:

livewell.oxfordshire.gov.uk/Search?CategoryId=143&SM=ServiceSearch

We have a community transport system round here which is flexible and cheaper than a taxi.

It depends where you are geographically. I am able to use hospital transport, I'm in Kent. If you ring them they will take you through an assessment and they will repeat that every few months.

The downside is that you generally have to wipe out the whole day, unless your appointment is very early or late in the afternoon. You have to be ready 2 hors before the appointment time and although it hasn't happened to me often they have picked me up 2 hours before and it's only a 15 - 20 minute drive to the hospital. I've also had to wait up to 4 hours to be picked up afterwards. It's frustrating but I'm very grateful to have the service so I just make sure I've got food & drink, my tablet, something to read and a puzzle book!

Reported the above post.

Apologies if this has been said by previous posters but it's early and I have 2 GC, full of beans and on school holidays to look after, so I don't have time to read all the replies!!
There are different levels of patient transport. From volunteers using their own cars all the way up to a fully stocked ambulance with stretcher and 2 paramedics. You say you are severely disabled so when you book patient transport for any hospital appointments you will have to be very explicit with the person booking your transport what your needs are regards mobility, getting in and out of vehicles independently or needing lifts and hoists and whether you can sit up or have to lay prone.

This is 3 year old post.

tanith

This is 3 year old post.

I usually look at the date of the OP before replying but with Easter holidays come GC who need looking after so I didn't have the time. The youngest has decided she would like a tutorial on cooking bacon and it's only just 8am!
I will check every time in future!!

I am in North Somerset. Although my town has its own hospital and I can get to this by bus, using my electric wheelchair, some appointments are at the Main hospital in Bristol.
I was told about the Hospital Transport system - and one phone call to them determined I was eligible for this (free) service. It picks me up at home they take me right to whichever clinic I have to attend, and then will bring me home.
Lovely people, very helpful - downside is that it does mean that there is so much waiting around - first at home waiting for them to come, and then at the hospital waiting for a journey home - we are talking about hours.
My last appt - couple of weeks ago, I was finished and ready to go home by 2.45pm and finally got collected at 5.15pm Journey takes just under an hour in each direction

My son is having chemo treatment over several months. The problem with hospital transport is all the waiting around, especially if you feel poorly after treatment and just want to get home! You have to be ready about 2 hrs before your appointment and it could also be 2 hrs late. You may have to share the transport, like my late Mum had to once. In rural areas like ours that may mean bumping up and down farm tracks to deliver the other patient to a very remote house. Mum was in agony with all the bumping up and down over miles of potholes.