Dear GP practices,
We contacted you in May 2018 to inform you of changes that we are introducing to transport services that take your patients to and from the hospitals managed by Barts Health NHS Trust. These include Mile End, Newham University, The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s and Whipps Cross hospitals. Changes were originally planned to be introduced in September 2018, however this date was postponed in order to make a smooth transition. The changes will now be in place from March 2019.
Important note: Patients affected will receive a letter from Barts Health NHS Trust shortly to advise them of the changes. Practices do not need to inform their patients of these changes.
We are changing the access to patient transport for some patients in line with guidance from the Department of Health. This guidance makes sure patients needing transport on medical grounds are prioritised for transport to and from our hospitals. By prioritising people with a medical or clinical need, delays will be reduced by c15%, improving the safety, efficiency and experience of this service for patients. Overall the changes will improve the service for our most vulnerable patients by improving access and reducing delays. It will also ensure parity of patient experience as we are one of the few trusts in London currently not applying eligibility. We have not been applying eligibility criteria for the last 3 years and this has seen a 10% YoY increase in activity which costs in excess of £2m per month (£1m per month over budget). The service currently provides 30,000 journeys per month, the equivalent to travelling three times round the world. This is unstainable for the Trust and the CCGs.
Your patients will be affected as follows,
Patients receiving outpatient care for cancer treatment or a renal condition will be phased and Barts Health will be in touch with these patients separately to confirm new arrangements.
We do not envisage that the described changes will affect GP workload. Patients who do not deemed eligible for the service will be signposted to an appeals process.
In May 2018, we met with a number of patients and clinicians to discuss these plans at events in Waltham Forest, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
You said….. |
We did…. |
Providing more wheelchairs and assistance at drop off points |
BH are arranging for more wheelchairs and assistance at drop off points |
Providing clearer information to patients about reclaiming alternative transport costs |
BH updated there website with the information needed to know about coming to and from our hospitals, including information to reclaim travel costs. |
Providing clearer information to patients about getting to and from hospital |
|
Improving the customer experience for patients using our transport service |
Customer care training for drivers, call centre staff and ward clerks has been delivered. |
We would welcome other ideas as we plan for the long term future of our transport services to further reduce delays faced by patients and provide a service that is better for the environment.
If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to get in touch with us by emailing northeastlondon.transport@nhs.net. We have also provided alternative transport options on our website at www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/transport
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