Patient Transport
Below are details of a number of organisations who may be able to support with transportation to hospital appointments and details of the NHS Travel Costs Scheme.
North East Ambulance Service
The PTS (patient transport service) is run by the North East Ambulance Service and provides pre-planned non-emergency transport for patients who have a medical condition that would prevent them from travelling to a treatment centre by any other means, or who require the skills of an ambulance care assistant during the journey. Patients in Sunderland/Wearside and South Tyneside should contact Patient Transport Services contact centre on 0191 2151515 to make or amend a booking. This line is open Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm
Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care
Daft as a Brush provide transportation to the Northern Centre for Cancer Care for outpatient radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment in specially adapted vehicles. The service is free of charge but patients need to be referred to the service by the Northern Centre for Cancer Care. The service does not take direct referrals.
Age UK – Dial a Driver
This volunteer dial a drivers scheme is available for people 60 years of age and over who find it difficult to use public transport to get to important appointments.
The service is chargeable at 50p per mile.
Bookings are made through Age UK Sunderland by calling 0191 514 8339
You may be able to claim for the cost of transport to hospital through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) if you’re referred for specialist NHS treatment or tests.
To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet 3 criteria:
- At the time of your appointment, you or your partner (including civil partners) must receive one of the qualifying benefits or allowances listed on this page, or meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Low Income Scheme.
- You must have a referral for specialist care from a healthcare professional to a specialist or a hospital for further NHS treatment or tests (often referred to as secondary care).
- Your appointment must be on a separate visit to when the referral was made. This applies whether your treatment is provided at a different location (hospital or clinic) or on the same premises as where the GP or another health professional issued the referral.