Taxis and PTS

The request was successful.

Dear South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust,

Please could you let me know the answer to the questions below relating to the Trust’s taxi and patient transport services.

1. Taxis
a. Who currently provides the Trust’s taxi service?
b. What is the Trust’s annual spend on all taxi services?
c. Who is responsible for managing this service and what are their phone, email and postal contact details?
d. How do you advertise this service for competitive tender, when did this last take place and when will it next be undertaken?

2. PTS (Patient Transport Services)
a. Who currently provides the Trust’s PTS service?
b. What is the Trust’s annual spend on PTS?
c. Who is responsible for managing this service and what are their phone, email and postal contact details?
d. How do you advertise this service for competitive tender, when did this last take place and when will it next be undertaken?

Thank you

Yours faithfully,

Oliver Mason

Godfrey Amanda, South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

I will be out of the office until Monday 4 April 2011. If you have an
urgent enquiry please contact Martin Evans on 07969 814302 or contact the
Trust switchboard on 01785 257888. If you have an urgent item to be placed
on the intranet please contact Diane Saunders or the Web Team HIS Block 6
[[email address]]

Dear Godfrey Amanda,

My Freedom of Information request remains outstanding and by law a response should have been provided by 5th May.

Can you please supply the requested information promptly.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Mason

Hunter Sean, South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Oliver Mason

Further to your email requesting information under the FOI Act 2000,
please find below the Trust's response.

1. Taxis

a. Who currently provides the TrustÂ*s taxi service? - The Trust
currently does not have a contract with any Taxi company. Taxis are
ordered on an ad hoc basis according to travel needs. This position is
however currently being examined to consider the option of having
'preferred providers'

b. What is the TrustÂ*s annual spend on all taxi services? - The
annual budget for taxi services in total is £22,610.

c. Who is responsible for managing this service and what are their
phone, email and postal contact details? - Taxi service provision is
not managed centrally but is `coordinated by the clinicians involved
on a case by case basis. It is usually only used outside of normal
working hours or when a speedier response is required than the
contracted Patient Transport Service provider is able to deliver.

d. How do you advertise this service for competitive tender, when did
this last take place and when will it next be undertaken? - As
referred to previously, this service has not been considered for
competitive tender and this position is unlikely to change in the near
future.

2. PTS (Patient Transport Services)

a. Who currently provides the TrustÂ*s PTS service? - Ambuline for
South Staffordshire journeys and Patientfirst for Shropshire and
Telford & Wrekin journeys.

b. What is the TrustÂ*s annual spend on PTS? - The Trust's
annual spend for patient transport services is £420,991 per
annum.This however includes a number of pool cars across Shropshire
and Staffordshire and the contract costs of the two PTS providers .

c. Who is responsible for managing this service and what are their
phone, email and postal contact details and how do you advertise this
service for competitive tender, when did this last take place and
when will it next be undertaken? - The PTS contracts are negotiated
by the respective PCTs (i.e. South Staffordshire PCT, Shropshire
County PCT and NHS Telford and Wrekin) for all the health providers in
their areas, l would therefore suggest contacting them directly.

We would be grateful if you take a minute to fill out our Freedom of
Information Customer Satisfaction Survey and let us know about your
experience. This can be accessed by following the link below:

[1]http://www.southstaffsandshropshealthcar...

Please do not hesitate to contact me in the first instance if you have any
queries or questions on the Trust's response, however, if you have any
complaint about the handling of your enquiry, please contact:

Ms Jane Landick

Assistant Chief Executive

South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Trust Headquarters

St George's Hospital

Corporation Street

Stafford

ST16 3SR

Telephone: 01785 257888; Email: [2][email address]

You also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700.

Website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

regards

Sean Hunter
Deputy Service Relations Manager

South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Trust HQ

Mellor House

Corporation Street

Stafford

ST16 3SR

Tel: 01785 221 404

Fax: 01785 221 391

Email: [3][email address]

For confidential information please use NHS Secure Email:
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Dear Hunter Sean,

Thank you for the information provided.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Mason