What you need to know about the new service provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Patient transport services across Birmingham are commissioned by the local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) – the clinically-led statutory NHS bodies responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services.

The local CCGs in Birmingham have recently started a new contract with West Midlands Ambulance Service to provide non-emergency patient transport and the new contract will come into effect on 1 May 2017. If you currently use non-emergency patient transport to get to your appointments, you may find the patient leaflet here along with this overview of the service provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service helpful:

1.       How is transport arranged?

You will be responsible for booking your own transport, or you can ask a family member, carer or friend to do it on your behalf.

You will need to have the following information available when booking:

·       Name

·       Date of birth

·       NHS number

·       Pick-up address (including postcode)

·       GP name and practice address

·       Date, time and location of your appointment

2.       Once transport is booked what happens next? What can I expect to happen?

Once the booking has been made, you don’t need to take any further action. We hope you will register for our text messaging service; this way you will received a text confirming your booking, including updates on the day of your journey.

3.       Will my transport pick me up again?

Yes.  All patients attending an appointment, and have transport booked with us, will have a return journey booked for them at the same time.

4.       If I need transport in future, how will my eligibility be assessed?

Your eligibility for transport will be checked by booking staff every time you book; this might be different to the service that you’ve been used to. If you are not eligible for free transport, you will be given details of local services that may be available to you.

5.       What if my circumstances change?

You can discuss any change in your circumstances when booking transport, which staff can check against the eligibility criteria and advise you if you are eligible for transport.

6.       What happens if I live outside the area?

You will need to contact your local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) who will advise you on what you need to do. You can get your CCG’s contact details from your GP surgery.

7.       I am deaf/have learning difficulties/don’t speak English well/need additional support, is there someone who can help me?

Of course, please let staff know what support you require and we’ll be very happy to help.

8.       I already have regular transport scheduled; do I need to do anything?

You will need to ensure you rebook every 6 months, in order to maintain your regular transport arrangements. If you have recently been discharged from hospital, you will also need to ensure that you call the booking office to re-activate your regular booking.

9.         What can I expect from the new service?

Your time spent on the vehicle will be kept to a minimum, with 95% of patients spending no more than 60 minutes on board for journeys that are less than 15 miles. We aim to collect you, following your appointment, within 30 minutes of your scheduled collection time.

10.       If I have problems/queries about my transport who can I get in touch with?

Please contact the booking office on 0800 035 6511 (from 1 May 2017).You can also call West Midlands Ambulance’s patient experience team on 01384 246370 or email them at: pals@wmas.nhs.uk