Ealing CCG - Primary Care Patient Transport Service

Tender description

NHS Ealing CCG is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced providers who would like to be considered for the provision of the Ealing Primary Care Patient Transport Service service for patients who are registered with GPs across the borough of Ealing NHS Ealing CCG is currently piloting a Primary Care Patient Transport service for patients who face barriers to accessing services in primary care settings because of the lack of appropriate transport and associated support. The pilot is specifically aimed at (but not restricted to) supporting patients who are elderly/frail or children who have mobility issues or other health problems which restricts their ability to access public transport. Older people often require additional support to navigate leaving their homes and accessing health services. It is these hard to reach people who often have the greatest health needs and would benefit the most from services such as patient transport. The reason for this procurement is the impending expiry of the current pilot arrangement. The new service contract will commence in early 2017 with operating hours from 09:00-17:00 Monday to Friday. The Provider will need to be flexible should this requirement change depending on demand of the service. The service is expected to deliver circa 8,000 patient journeys a year. The requirement is for a safe, responsive, and timely non-emergency transport service that will provide patients convenient and free at the point of delivery, carriage between their places of residence and primary care health centres. The Provider of will ensure: • The service is responsive and open to all eligible patients • Resilience and continuity of service provision across the borough • Provision of a single point of contact where all bookings and enquiries concerning patient transport will be managed and resolved Eligibility criteria for the service will be based on whether the patient can be transported without risk to their safety or the safety of others, and whether there is a clinical need for transport based on disability, a lack of mobility, or other health problems. The service will: • Ensure vulnerable patients feel comfortable and confident travelling to Primary Care appointments • Support reduction of isolation and increasing social integration with others thus improving the wellbeing of the patient • Give patients the confidence to travel to other social settings using transport and hence increase ownership of their own health and wellbeing Key outcomes and objectives will include: • Reduced DNAs (Did not Attend) in primary care • Increased follow up care for patients • Reduced hospital admissions • Reduced isolation and increased social integration of isolated vulnerable patients Social Value This service will contribute to the social, health and well-being needs and challenges facing vulnerable elderly patients in respect of loneliness and isolation