Hospital transport

[achastle]

I’ve a heart procedure next week in Raigmore. I realised I would have to go there to have it done but expected there would be some transport provided for the return home. I’m told to take the bus or train. They don’t have a clue. I don’t have family here who can drive me. I’m a senior. Surely this happens to others. Who do I contact? I do intend to contact MSP and MP but don’t expect any immediate replies. Any other suggestions?

[cptdodger]

I had a word with the NHS Patient Travel dept in Inverness, I had to be vague because I don't know you personally ! Basically they are the finance department so they would deal with the financial side of the cost of a car / bus or train. Who she advised me to phone was The Ambulance Service (Patient Transport) who are a different entity to them, now as I said, I don't have your details and I am just hoping you live in Caithness ! This is the number you should contact, hopefully they will be able to help you - 01463 667566.

I hope this helps.

[tootz]

Contact your usual health centre, they will be able to book patient transport for you or potentially advise you how to do this yourself. My granddad used to use the patient transport service for appointments in Raigmore and I know the district nurse used to book this for him.

[Westward]

I’ve a heart procedure next week in Raigmore. I realised I would have to go there to have it done but expected there would be some transport provided for the return home. I’m told to take the bus or train. They don’t have a clue. I don’t have family here who can drive me. I’m a senior. Surely this happens to others. Who do I contact? I do intend to contact MSP and MP but don’t expect any immediate replies. Any other suggestions?

Can totally identify with you, sadly, there is no solution for folks like us.
You either take the public transport or you don't and if you don't then the procedure cannot be done, same problem with Wick's hospital.
Believe me I have tried be that the patient transport scheme or Caithness Rural Transport, alas! to no avail. I have therefore, had to forego hospital treatment / & procedures simply because I cannot get there. No laughing matter when one is ill and in need of treatment.

[Fran]

You phone patients transport at Raigmore, you say you have a heart condition, you can't drive or walk and you have a heart condition and you need patients transport. You will get it.
hospitals and doctors no longer book this for you.

[dx100uk]

well said fran.

there are too many members here with limited knowledge that unfairly put down PTS.

they flew my wife to raigmore and Aberdeen FOC during her years of treatment.

if you tell PTS of your issues, they will bend over to help you.

[cptdodger]

well said fran.

there are too many members here with limited knowledge that unfairly put down PTS.

I don't think it's a case of anybody putting the PTS (which I presume is Patient Transport Service) down. It's quite hard to do that if you don't know anything about it in the first place. In an effort to help the gentleman out I phoned the NHS Patient Travel dept, and they advised me to tell him to contact the PTS, which he clearly wasn't advised to dowhen whoever it was arranged for him to go to Raigmore.

I am just hoping he has read these responses and got the treatment he required.

[achastle]

Thanks everyone for taking time to reply. I’ve had procedure and back at home. I talked to lots of folks but best I was offered was a bed at Kyle Court. Next step is another procedure in Aberdeen. Looks like I need to get more transport organised. The whole situation is a disgrace. If you can walk then the public transport it is! The hospital staff were all wonderful. But there has to be a better plan for getting folks back and fore. Making a list of who I should contact to make a fuss.

[Shaggy]

Sadly there isn't. When i had my heart attack i was initially seen at CG then emergency transferred by ambulance down to Raigmore. A few days treatment, job done and told "Goodbye!". I then had to make my own way home less than a week after a heart attack! and just luckily i had my wallet with me too so i could buy a train ticket. There were a couple lads from Wick in the same time as me and discharged same day but no offer of a lift from either of them despite offering to share fuel cost, the miserable gits lol, i'll remember that!

[Michael Dennis]

Shaggy

I was the same, I have had 3 heart attacks in just over 3 years.

First time Aberdeen Airlift, second Raigmore airlift and last time I made my own way to Inverness as wasnt being flung about in an ambulance for 3 hours.

Each time released to find my own way home. Luckily I had family to help but if not it would have been public transport. From Aberdeen would have been especially torture never mind Inverness.

They don't care once they clear the bed, you have to fight to even get an outpatient appointment once a year.

It is absolutely shocking, I am only 34, I cant even begin to imagine how an older or disabled person would cope.

I wonder would there be much interest in starting a charity with this type of transport at its core. I reckon funding could be come by if there was will of people to come forward to run it and provide oversight. I would definately help out where I could in any way needed.

Other than advanced first aid, medical qualifications wouldn't be an issue as the hospitals have deemed these patients fit for discharge and to travel.

Bill Fernie, have you any thoughts on this or would be interested in helping with a scoping meeting? You massive experience and links to CHAT would be hugely beneficial in such an initial exercise.

[Westward]

Thanks everyone for taking time to reply. I’ve had procedure and back at home. I talked to lots of folks but best I was offered was a bed at Kyle Court. Next step is another procedure in Aberdeen. Looks like I need to get more transport organised. The whole situation is a disgrace. If you can walk then the public transport it is! The hospital staff were all wonderful. But there has to be a better plan for getting folks back and fore. Making a list of who I should contact to make a fuss.

Count me in on that fuss..I was one of those who had to cancel my procedure because I could not get transport, patient or otherwise.

[cptdodger]

I wonder would there be much interest in starting a charity with this type of transport at its core. I reckon funding could be come by if there was will of people to come forward to run it and provide oversight. I would definately help out where I could in any way needed.

Other than advanced first aid, medical qualifications wouldn't be an issue as the hospitals have deemed these patients fit for discharge and to travel.

Bill Fernie, have you any thoughts on this or would be interested in helping with a scoping meeting? You massive experience and links to CHAT would be hugely beneficial in such an initial exercise.

I agree with you here, something needs to be put into place for this type of situation. Unfortunately I can't drive so I wouldn't be much help.

While I admire everything CHAT is trying to achieve, I think it's a lost cause purely because (and I honestly thought this was public knowledge at the time) when Dr Shallcross left Caithness General, I ended up being transferred to Raigmore to see Consultants there. I actually spoke to whoever was running Caithness General at the time to ask when they were replacing Dr Shallcross, they said they were advertising for Consultants. This has to be going back to 2012 if not earlier. I then spoke to my Consultant at Raigmore who told me everything was being centralised to Raigmore, so they would not be providing Consultants at CGH. I thought it was just Gastroenterology, seemingly not.

They have known for years this was going to happen. So now, what we should be concentrating on is, resolving the issues like getting left high and dry in Inverness/Glasgow or Aberdeen, with no way apart from public transport to get home.

How many people is there, like Westward have had to cancel getting their treatment because of this issue ? It needs to be looked into.

[DMFB]

I gave up driving south a few years ago due to my age and i no longer feel fit enough for the journey. My wife has many appointments in Raigmore due to complex health needs. I accept we cannot have every need catered for here by some specialist staff but it would be good to have better patient transport services.

[Shaggy]

Just have to be careful with the cancelling of appointments. I had to cancel one which was for 9:30am in Invergordon of all places and gave them plenty of notice when i cancelled citing that i wasn't fit to travel that far on public transport and couldn't drive there. When i asked to make a new appointment, it was thrown back at me that i had cancelled a previous one and would have to go through my doctor again to be referred, thus starting all over again and another 13 month wait

[Westward]

Just have to be careful with the cancelling of appointments. I had to cancel one which was for 9:30am in Invergordon of all places and gave them plenty of notice when i cancelled citing that i wasn't fit to travel that far on public transport and couldn't drive there. When i asked to make a new appointment, it was thrown back at me that i had cancelled a previous one and would have to go through my doctor again to be referred, thus starting all over again and another 13 month wait

In many ways I can see the hospital's point in putting people back to the start of their lists, for folks who repeatedly cancel, however, that does not tackle the problem of no transport.. tackle that problem and there should be no real reason for so many cancellations.
I have foregone that particular treatment, rather than travel alone on public transport to areas I know so little of,
therefore, the next time I take ill (which I doubtless will) either they take me as an emergency or I suffer in silence as a matter of course,

[cptdodger]

I was the same, I had an appointment to go to Dingwall for a bone scan, I lived in Castletown at the time. I could not get there for the appointment time, I spoke to them explained where I lived and also that I had to use public transport. They said they would reschedule, which they did, for exactly the same time, twice.

They sent an impressive letter to my GP telling them I had ignored the appointments, and would have to be referred again. That letter did not take into account I was on the phone to them getting passed from pillar to post for a couple of hours for each appointment letter I received. I just gave up after that.

[Bill Fernie]

Shaggy

I was the same, I have had 3 heart attacks in just over 3 years.

First time Aberdeen Airlift, second Raigmore airlift and last time I made my own way to Inverness as wasnt being flung about in an ambulance for 3 hours.

Each time released to find my own way home. Luckily I had family to help but if not it would have been public transport. From Aberdeen would have been especially torture never mind Inverness.

They don't care once they clear the bed, you have to fight to even get an outpatient appointment once a year.

It is absolutely shocking, I am only 34, I cant even begin to imagine how an older or disabled person would cope.

I wonder would there be much interest in starting a charity with this type of transport at its core. I reckon funding could be come by if there was will of people to come forward to run it and provide oversight. I would definately help out where I could in any way needed.

Other than advanced first aid, medical qualifications wouldn't be an issue as the hospitals have deemed these patients fit for discharge and to travel.

Bill Fernie, have you any thoughts on this or would be interested in helping with a scoping meeting? You massive experience and links to CHAT would be hugely beneficial in such an initial exercise.

I sent you a pm re meeting so can you respond if you have not yet read it.

[Fran]

This would be a great idea and I would be a driver