Non Emergency Patient Transport Services

Non-emergency patient transport services

For people who struggle to get to NHS appointments, they may be able to use NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service to get to and from hospital. In Cheshire, the service is provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service: Non-emergency patient transport - West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

Your GP or the healthcare professional who referred you to hospital can discuss with you whether you have a medical need for transport. You will need to be eligible for the service and you will need to have a clinical need and be unable to get to appointments by other means. Patients will be asked to answer a series of questions over the phone by our PTS control room staff when requesting to book transport regarding their general day-to-day life in order to determine eligibility and to ensure the correct vehicle and crew are allocated. In the main, it is based on mobility; financial issues or distance are not reasons for transport.

This link will take you to more detailed information on making an appointment including the number to ring: Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral - West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

Refunds of hospital transport costs

You may be able to claim a refund of the cost of transport to hospital or other NHS premises through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) if you:

  • are not eligible for PTS
  • cannot meet the cost of travelling to hospital
  • cannot get a friend or relative to take you

There are conditions you must meet to be eligible for a refund under this scheme.

  1. At the time of your appointment, you or your partner (including civil partners) must be receiving one of the qualifying benefits or allowances, or meet the eligibility criteria of the NHS Low Income Scheme.
  2. Your journey must be made to receive NHS-funded non-primary medical or non-primary dental care services, to which you have been referred to by a GP, dentist or hospital consultant.
  3. For referrals made by a primary practitioner such as a GP or dentist, the service must be provided on a different day and in premises other than those occupied by the practitioner who made the referral.

For more information on the NHS Low Income Scheme, please visit: How do I apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS)?  · Customer Self-Service

Or telephone: 0300 330 1343

Contact NHS Help with Health Costs | NHSBSA

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  • Non Emergency Patient Transport Services