Patient Transport

Non-Emergency Patient Transport ('hospital or ambulance transport') to and from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (including Cromer Hospital) is provided by the East of England Ambulance Trust (EoEAT). It is a specialist transport service as opposed to a taxi service, and the journeys have to be pre-booked as transport is only available at certain times. The Ambulance Trust provides a service Monday to Friday mainly during the daytime, and a limited service at week-ends for discharges. This is delivered by using resources ranging from specialist ambulances and highly trained staff to a car service provided by volunteers who receive a mileage rate for using their own cars.

In general, patients who need an ambulance to get to their appointment need their hospital appointment between the hours of 10:00 and 15:00 Monday to Friday. There is a hospital transport service outside these core times and the ambulance car service operates between approximately 08:00 and 18:00 but these volunteers cannot transport all patients. If there is a medical need for transport then every effort will be made to try and provide a service, but it may not always be possible.

There are a number of Community Car Schemes which bring patients to the hospital, they charge a mileage fee which is much less than taxi fares.

Transport Plus is a community car scheme that covers most of Norfolk. Tel: 01603 422807. There are a number of other local community schemes which can be seen by clicking on the following link: Community Car Schemes

So the trust can provide a quality service for those who are most in need, please do not request patient transport unless it is essential. The questions below are those that you will be asked to determine if you qualify:

Do you have any means of getting to and from the hospital by public, private transport or by family or friends?
Do you receive mobility allowance?
Do you have a mental health problem, illness or a learning disability as a result of a severe mental impairment?
Are you receiving treatment whereby you experience physical side-effects on the day of your appointment?
Do you have severe eyesight problems either short or long term?
Do you have severe mobility problems as a result of illness or injury to lower limbs?
Do you have severe mobility problems as a result of heart, lung or breathing difficulties?
Do you have an uncontrolled illness, for example, uncontrolled epilepsy?
Is the patient a child with disability or special needs?
Do you need to be accompanied on your journey to hospital?

It is important that these questions are answered fully and correctly as they help to determine your mobility, and therefore the type of transport that you need. For example, you may be in a wheelchair but can transfer yourself onto a seat in an ambulance, or you may require to be transported on a stretcher. It is vital that transport is correctly booked for your own comfort and safety, and that of other patients and staff/volunteers who will be caring for you en route.

Can someone travel with me?

Carers will only be conveyed on patient transport in exceptional circumstances. This depends on:

The patient’s medical need
Agreement with the Patient Transport Clinical Assessment and Advice Service
Being made at the same time of booking

Patients who require a carer during their hospital appointment should make arrangements for them to be met there. A carer who is not strictly required may take up a seat that could be used by another patient.

How to Book

If your family doctor has referred you to hospital for the first time or you are coming for a follow-up appointment and after reading the above information you think you qualify for patient transport, you should call the Patient Transport Clinical Assessment and Advice Service. See notes below:
- Tel: 0845 8500774, Opening Hours: 08:00–18:30 Monday–Friday and Saturday 08:00–12 noon.
- Ambulance Transport is only available for appointments between 10:00–15:00 Monday–Friday.
- Transport can be booked no earlier than 14 days before the appointment and no later than 2 clear working days before the appointment.
The Patient Transport Clinical Assessment and Advice Service (PTCAAS) will ask you some questions in relation to the medical criteria. If you meet the criteria, patient transport will be granted and booked. If you happen to fall outside the criteria the PTCAAS will advise you of other alternatives.
If you need follow-up treatment at the hospital at a later date, you will need to contact the PTCAAS who will review your eligibility for patient transport.
If you are using patient transport on a long-term basis, your medical need and mobility will be regularly reviewed to ensure that you are still eligible for this type of hospital transport.
Transport is not booked automatically - it is your responsibility to contact the PTCAAS.

Cancelling your hospital transport

If you do not need the patient transport which you have booked or your appointment is cancelled or re-scheduled, always inform the PTCAAS. The have to pay for any transport not cancelled and it could have been used for someone else.

Contact the Patient Transport Clinical Assessment and Advice Service:
From 08:00–18:30, Tel: 0845 8500774

Help with Travel Costs

Do you need help with travel costs?

If you are not eligible for transport, you may be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses if you are receiving certain benefits. To find out if you are eligible for this assistance, ask your local Social Security Office or telephone our Patient Services department: 01603 289685.

We can reimburse car mileage (the current rate is 10p/mile) and bus and train fares in full on production of your ticket.
NB. We do not reimburse taxi fares.

Loan of money to help you use public transport to return home

You may have been brought to Accident & Emergency by ambulance or by a friend who has now left, and do not have any money on your person. If you are medically fit to travel home independently we can loan you enough money to enable you get home safely by public transport.

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