Free Hospital Transport ‘Abused’

A hospital has warned patients about free NHS transport provision after reports the service was being abused. Free ambulances at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital cost £2.5m for 130,000 journeys a year.

Staff have been asked to drop people at shops or at home in cases where some patients demanded transport when they did not want to disturb partners. A spokesman said: “Services are only for people who have a medical problem and have no access to transport.”

The East of England Ambulance Service provides the Non-Emergency Patient Transport service for patients in Norfolk who are clinically unable to make their own way to and from hospitals for an appointment and have no other means of travel, a hospital spokesman said.

He added: “The non-emergency service is only for patients and in special circumstances, for carers. If a patient has their own transport or can use public/private transport or via friends or families then they will not be eligible for free NHS transport.”

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital matron Sian Watkins said: “Increasingly our staff are being abused by people demanding free transport despite having their own access to transport. If people do not use the NHS in a responsible manner then other essential services may be affected.”