- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients with no access to public transport who are unable to drive are eligible for patient transport services.
Answer
We would encourage patients in this situation, who do not meet the medical criteria for Scottish Ambulance Service Patient Transport, to discuss their requirements with their local NHS board.
In addition, under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2004, Regional Transport Partnerships have a legal requirement to develop Access to Healthcare Strategies for their areas. Regional transport partnerships continue to work with local authorities and health boards to mainstream travel plans and work with local partners to promote more active and sustainable travel. With the introduction of Single Outcome Agreements and the concordat with COSLA, the Scottish Government has given funding straight to the local authorities who are responsible for the Regional Transport Partnerships in taking forward these strategies.
The Scottish Government encourages NHS boards to work with their Regional Transport Partnership in developing Access to Healthcare Strategies to address the needs of local communities.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what distance it considers reasonable as an additional journey for patient transport services.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service takes patients, or groups of patients, who have a medical need for transport to and from appointments. The service tries to ensure that resources are used in the most cost effective and efficient way possible. This means that, where possible, routes are planned to allow groups of patients to travel in one vehicle whilst at the same time trying to balance the length of time individual patients have to spend in the vehicle.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions when the Eurocopter EC135 helicopters operating from Glasgow and Inverness and the King Air 200c fixed-wing aircraft operating from Aberdeen and Glasgow have been used to access island locations and what each response time was.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Ambulance Service can be contacted at:
Scottish Ambulance Service
National Headquarters
Tipperlinn Road
Edinburgh
EH10 5UU.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients who require a family member to escort them to hospital are eligible for patient transport services.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) have a clear policy on relative or carer eligibility for travel with patients. A relative or a carer will be able to escort a patient where the patient is a child or if the patient''s clinical condition is such that they require constant attention. Should a patient require an escort to travel with them and if they fit this criteria, which will be established following a medical assessment, then the ambulance service will make every effort to accommodate the request.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what access to patient transport services patients have who must attend a series of appointments requiring them to stay away from home and close to the hospital for a number of days (a) in hospital-provided accommodation, (b) in charitable accommodation, (c) in a hotel or bed and breakfast and (d) with family or friends.
Answer
We would encourage patients to discuss their specific circumstances with their NHS board to establish the support and options available to them for transport to appointments.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what patient transport is available for people who have access only to limited public transport.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23342 on 7 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what patient transport is available for people who are unable to use their own transport on medical grounds and do not have access to public transport.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19699 on 21 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what patient transport provision is in place for people who cannot access their own transport and do not have access to public transport.
Answer
Transport services will vary within each NHS board area across Scotland. Community and Demand Responsive Transport services play a vital role in providing access to NHS facilities in areas where public transport services are limited.
Under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2004, Regional Transport Partnerships have a legal requirement to develop Access to Healthcare Strategies and address the issues for their areas. Regional Transport Partnerships continue to work with local authorities and health boards to mainstream travel plans and work with local partners to promote more active and sustainable travel.
The Scottish Government is providing local government with record levels of funding over the period 2008-11. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it (including those provided under the Enhanced Demand Responsive Transport Initiative) on the basis of local needs and priorities.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital appointments were missed or cancelled due to the patient transport service being unable to provide transport in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government or the Scottish Ambulance Service.
However, the Scottish Ambulance Service is committed to reducing the number of times it is unable to provide transport and will continue to work with NHS boards to do so.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what transport is available for patients attending hospital clinics held outwith hospital premises.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Patient Transport Service will take patients to their appointments wherever they are being held. This will include clinics held outwith hospital premises.
