How your feedback on patient transport has helped local patients

Many people in Milton Keynes rely on the ambulance service to take them to non-urgent hospital appointments. 

However, when some of these services, like community cardiology, diabetes care, and community diagnostic centres, were moved out of hospitals and into GP practices and other clinics, the ambulance crews no longer transported people to their appointments.
 

What wasn't working?

With patients no longer able to use the ambulance service to get to their care appointments, many of whom have no alternative transport, some of them contacted us to complain and see if we could help. 
 

We raised these concerns with the local Ambulance Trust, who took action to fix the issue.  
 

Working together to improve patient transport

"The ambulance services explained that they don't typically go to non-hospital locations", said Tracy Keech, deputy CEO of Healthwatch Milton Keynes.

"However, after we raised the issue, South Central Ambulance Service said they would provide travel to non-hospital sites for outpatient appointments. They subsequently sent guidance to their call handlers to ensure people visiting these sites can use ambulances to get there."

Since the NHS resolved this patient transportation issue, we're haven't had any new complaints about people being unable to travel to their appointments.