Arriva Patient Transport Service Report

Arriva began operating the Patient Transport Service for Greater Manchester on the first of April 2013. Previous to this the service was commissioned from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

At the time of the change of contract from NWAS to Arriva alterations were made to the way in which the eligibility criteria were applied. According to the Commissioners the criteria themselves did not change, but, as part of the terms of the new contract, booking centres were required to go through the criteria every time a request for transport was made (or every 3-6 months in the case of cancer and renal patients). The combination of these amendments as to how eligibility is established alongside changes to the provider resulted in a number of issues being raised by patients who were experiencing confusion or difficulty in accessing the service.

Initially Healthwatch Oldham identified that a number of complaints about access to the service, eligibility and patient information had been received by the local Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS). Further enquiries identified additional issues including; late collections, missed appointments and long waiting times for return transport.

Discussions with colleagues from local Healthwatch organisations across Greater Manchester led to informal enquiries in other areas which revealed similar concerns elsewhere.