Not everyone travelling to hospital or receiving NHS treatment automatically qualifies for NHS-funded patient transport. If you have been told you are not eligible, there are other ways to arrange your journey — including private patient transport where appropriate.
Understanding why you may not qualify, what alternatives are available and whether you could receive help with travel costs can make arranging your next hospital visit much easier.
Who qualifies for NHS patient transport?
NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are intended for people whose circumstances mean suitable transport is considered essential for their safety, mobility, condition management or recovery.
NHS England’s national criteria say a patient is likely to qualify where, for example, they have a relevant medical need, cognitive or sensory impairment, significant mobility need, safeguarding need, or where wider medical or mobility needs have caused treatment or discharge to be missed or severely delayed. There is also a specific transport-support commitment for patients travelling to and from in-centre haemodialysis.
This means that simply having a hospital appointment does not automatically entitle someone to NHS-funded transport.
Why might I be told I’m not eligible?
The NHS generally expects people who can safely make their own way to hospital to arrange their own transport, potentially with help from a friend or relative.
For example, you might not meet the criteria if your circumstances mean you can reasonably travel using another suitable form of transport.
Eligibility should be based on your individual circumstances, rather than simply your age or the fact that you’re attending hospital.
If you’re unsure why you have been assessed as ineligible, speak to the healthcare professional, hospital or local service responsible for arranging your patient transport.
What is private patient transport?
Private patient transport is arranged and paid for privately rather than being provided as an NHS-funded journey.
This can be useful when you do not meet NHS eligibility requirements but still want transport that can be planned around your circumstances.
For example, you may be arranging a journey to a hospital further away from home, need wheelchair-accessible transport, want a family member or carer to accompany you, or simply prefer to have suitable transport arranged in advance.
At Expedition Mini Coaches, we can discuss your journey and requirements before determining whether our service is suitable.
