Your Trust's Patient Transport Services

Waiting for an internal review by North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust of their handling of this request.

Dear North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust,

I should be very grateful if you would answer the following questions about your Trust's Patient Transport Services:

a) What is the average wait for patients following their appointment to be taken home by patient transport?

b) How many times in each year since 2009 did patients have to wait (i) 0 - 1 hour (ii) 1 - 2 hours (iii) 2 – 3 hours (iv) 3 – 4 hours (v) more than 4 hours to be picked up following their appointment?

c) What training is required in the contract for drivers of the patient transport?

d) Please share the content of the training for drivers.

e) How many hospital appointments were missed due to patient transport not delivering the patient in time in each year since 2009?

f) What are your eligibility criteria for patient transport?

g) How is this assessed? (e.g. over the phone, in person; in consultation with a doctor or other medical professional.)

h) What questions do you ask of patients to assess their eligibility for patient transport?

i) Is there an appeals process for those not deemed eligible for patient transport?

j) What is your policy and/or eligibility criteria on escorts accompanying patients on transport?

k) What is the average wait for patients following their appointment to be taken home by patient transport?

l) How many times in each year since 2009 did patients have to wait (a) 0 - 1 hour (b) 1 - 2 hours (c) 2 – 3 hours (d) 3 – 4 hours (e) more than 4 hours to be picked up following their appointment?

m) What training is required in the contract for drivers of the patient transport?

n) Please share the content of the training for drivers.

o) How many hospital appointments were missed due to patient transport not delivering the patient in time in each year since 2009?

p) What are your eligibility criteria for patient transport?

q) How is this assessed? (e.g. over the phone, in person; in consultation with a doctor or other medical professional.)

r) What questions do you ask of patients to assess their eligibility for patient transport?

s) Is there an appeals process for those not deemed eligible for patient transport?

t) What is your policy and/or eligibility criteria on escorts accompanying patients on transport?

Yours faithfully,

Lianna Etkind

FreedomOfInformation (NORTH MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST), North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

Dear Ms Etkind

Re: Your Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

I acknowledge your request for information.
Your request is being considered and a response will be sent to you as soon as possible. I cannot confirm whether the Trust holds this information at present. The Trust aims to provide the information requested within 20 working days, as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact me at the above address.

Further information is available from:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
www.ico.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Anne Appadoo
Head of Information Governance
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

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Appadoo Anne-Lise (NORTH MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST), North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

Dear Ms Etkind

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please see below for the response to your enquiries.

a) What is the average wait for patients following their appointment to be taken home by patient transport?

Varies between 30 minutes and 90 minutes depending on discharge activity

b) How many times in each year since 2009 did patients have to wait (i) 0 - 1 hour (ii) 1 - 2 hours (iii) 2 – 3 hours (iv) 3 – 4 hours (v) more than 4 hours to be picked up following their appointment?

Only category 2 applies

c) What training is required in the contract for drivers of the patient transport?

Training is tailored according the needs of patients transported in various vehicles, from basic First Aid to Full Emergency Responder.

d) Please share the content of the training for drivers- see above

e) How many hospital appointments were missed due to patient transport not delivering the patient in time in each year since 2009?

Information is not recorded. Patients delays and cancellations are recorded, but not the causes of delays and cancellations.

f) What are your eligibility criteria for patient transport?
To ensure that patients with a medical need receive NEPT, bookings will only
be accepted for patients that have no alternative means of travelling to or from
hospital and who satisfy one of the specific criteria below: -
• Stretcher patient
• Patient's who are being transferred to another hospital
• In-Patients who need to attend Out-Patient appointments at other
hospitals
• Patients who require continuous oxygen or other medical gases
• Patients who require continuous intravenous support
Individual consideration will also be given to patients who cannot access public
transport, and who satisfy any of the following supplementary criteria: -
• Patients in wheelchairs
• Patients with psychiatric or learning difficulties who are unable to use
public transport
• Patients who cannot walk without the continual support of a mobility aid
(i.e. Zimmer frame)
• Patients who experience side-effects as a result of the treatment they
receive e.g. chemotherapy and laser treatment.

g) How is this assessed? (e.g. over the phone, in person; in consultation with a doctor or other medical professional.)
The patient is assessed by a senior member of the disciplinary team, with a clinical background e.g. Doctor, Nurse, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist

h) What questions do you ask of patients to assess their eligibility for patient transport?

No set questions, the patient is assessed individually using the above criteria.

i) Is there an appeals process for those not deemed eligible for patient transport?

No set appeal process; however patients may use the Trust Complaint Procedure to express their dissatisfaction and ask for a review of decision.

j) What is your policy and/or eligibility criteria on escorts accompanying patients on transport?

Escorts are allowed to accompany patients according to the patient's needs.

If you require any further information, please contact me via this email address.

I should advise that if you are not satisfied with the above response you may, under the trust's complaints procedure, write to the chief executive requesting an internal review. The address to write to is:

The Chief Executive, Julie Lowe
Trust Head Quarters
Admin Block
Sterling Way,
N18 1QX
[email address]

requesting an internal review.

If you remain dissatisfied with the Trust’s decision following your complaint, you may write to the Information Commissioner for a decision under Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF.
Telephone: 01625 545700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Anne Appadoo
Head of Information Governance
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

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Dear Anne-Lise Appadoo,

Thank you for your responses.

I need clarification on two points please.

For Question (c) you give two examples of training, but this does not fully answer the question, could you please supply a full answer to this question, listing all the training required for drivers of patient transport vehicles.

For Question (d) please supply the training content, i.e. the learning materials supplied during training.

Yours sincerely,

Lianna Etkind

Dear Anne-Lise Appadoo,

It is now three weeks since I asked for clarification on Questions (c) and (d) and you have not responded.

Your response to these final points in my FOI Request is now long overdue, as defined by the FOI Act 2000 and as such you are not complying with the law.

Please send me the requested clarifications as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Lianna Etkind

Dear North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust's handling of my FOI request 'Your Trust's Patient Transport Services'.

This request is because you have not supplied a full set of answers to my FOI request, your responses are now many weeks overdue and you are now in contravention of the Freedom of Information Act.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/y...

Yours faithfully,

Lianna