There and back - what people tell us about their experiences of travelling to and from NHS services

Summary

Between March and May this year, the Healthwatch network carried out a nationwide conversation asking communities how they want the NHS to improve locally, engaging with over 30,000 people across the country.

We found that travel was a key issue, with nine out of every ten people telling us that convenient ways of getting to and from health services as either important or very important.

In two thirds of the country, communities told us they wanted more focus in local plans on improving the links between transport and health and care services.

This briefing highlights what the public are saying about issues they face when it comes to travelling to and from NHS services, including issues with public transport, parking and Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services.

It also shows what we found when we wrote to all 191 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and asked them for data on how many people were using Non-Emergency Transport Services and how many people had been refused help between 2015/16 and 2018/19.

In partnership with Age UK and Kidney Care UK, we have been working with the NHS to take action. This briefing highlights our collective evidence in our call for change.

NHS England has announced they will carry out a national review. We look forward to working with them on this to ensure that people’s views and experiences inform their plans, from better commissioning of NHS patient transport services to working more closely with transport authorities and providers to ensure the NHS is connected in practical and affordable ways with the wider world.