Older patients from poorer South Yorkshire areas will be hit hardest by NHS transport changes
New NHS rules on transport to and from hospital will hit older South Yorkshire patients from poorer areas the hardest, a report has said.
A meeting yesterday (October 10) of the South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed new NHS rules affecting who can use patient transport to appointments. Previously, local health authorities set their own rules.
Patients are now only eligible to use non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS) where one or more of the following applies:
- A medical condition which impairs their mobility and they cannot make their own way;
- They are attending a haemodialysis appointment;
- Travelling by any other means would have a serious detrimental effect on their condition or recovery;
- Their medical needs mean they require additional support from the NEPTS;
- They require support from the NEPTS crew and have to lie down for at least part of the journey or they are a stretcher patient;
- They are being transferred to another NHS facility;
- They have a mental health difficulty, illness or a learning disability/condition or mental capacity issues, which makes it difficult or impossible to travel by other means or with the support of friends or family;
- They have a clearly recognisable disability which prevents them travelling independently, or with the support of family or friends.
The principle of the new rules is that most people should travel to and from hospital independently by private or public transport, helped by relatives or friends if necessary. Some patients are eligible to have their fares repaid by the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) and others may use community transport services.
A report by the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board showed that the changes could result in more people missing hospital treatment or facing delays in hospital discharge. It said this will hit people in deprived communities harder because 45 per cent of patients using NEPTS are from those areas.
It will also affect older people more as 68 per cent of journeys are for people aged 66 or over.
A report to the committee, which involves councillors from South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, said that a total of 78,130 journeys are likely to be impacted by the new policy.
Barnsley councillor Mick Stowe called for the paperwork to claim back hospital travel costs to be simplified. He said: “Everything we do is complicated. I’m not against it but the point’s got to be that the more complicated it is, the more difficult it is when it gets to my age.”
Chris Dexter of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust patient transport services agreed that the claim forms are “cumbersome” and the service is looking at simplifying the system and providing more support.
Coun Stowe, who said the journey by public transport from Dearne to Weston Park Hospital takes over two hours, suggested that patients who claim frequently could be offered bus passes. He predicted that the changes could put added pressure on community transport services.
Dr David Crichton, designate chief medical officer for the integrated care board, said it works closely with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on patients’ public transport needs.