New era for patient transport service

North West Ambulance Service

A modernised and improved patient centered service is available to patients requiring non-emergency transport in four counties across the North West as part of new contracts provided by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS), which takes effect from 1 July 2016.

Following a successful tender process, the Trust submitted bids for the contracts to provide non-emergency patient transport in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria. It previously ran the service in Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.

Since then, NWAS has taken the opportunity to re-examine the service and introduced new measures to ensure full compliance with the contract and to listen to the views of patients and other stakeholders, resulting in a new and improved experience for patients.

The improvements are underpinned by an improved and updated Patient Charter which outlines the Trust’s commitment to the care and safe transportation of patients – providing the right care, at the right time and in the right place. The Charter explains what patients can expect of the Trust, how to access services and how to feedback their experiences as well as what the service requires from them.