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Patient transport

The way non-emergency patient transport is provided has changed across the NHS, meaning that many patients are now expected to make their own transport arrangements to and from appointments.

This is to make sure that transport is available for those who really need it, according to their clinical need.

At St George’s, these new national guidelines are now being followed. This means that some patients who used to qualify for transport may no longer be eligible.

How to qualify for non-emergency patient transport

Eligibility for non-emergency patient transport is carefully assessed by your healthcare team, including your GP, doctors and nurses. Our Non-Emergency Patient Transport Assessment and Booking Team will work with them to evaluate whether you qualify for transport, following Department of Health guidelines. If transport is recommended, your GP will include this in their referral to the hospital.

To be eligible for hospital-arranged transport, one or more of the following must apply:

• »ªÌå»á are bedbound and need a stretcher to travel
• »ªÌå»á require medical gases during the return from hospital
• Some wheelchair-bound patients
• »ªÌå»á need to be carried up to/down from their residence
• »ªÌå»á are travelling on their own but have limited capacity, such as dementia patients
• »ªÌå»á cannot walk without continual physical support (not including the use of aids such as walking sticks or Zimmer frames).

If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to the staff caring for you or your family member.

If you believe you are entitledÌýto non-emergency patient transport, but have been assessed as not meeting the national eligibility criteria,Ìýyou will need to contact your GP and ask them to submit a ‘making a difference alertâ€�. This will outline what part of the national eligibility criteria you meet as they will need to provide supporting evidence as part of this appeal.ÌýThis does not guaranteeÌýthat you will subsequently be provided transport, but your situation will be reviewed.

How to book patient transport?

If you feel you are eligible for non-urgent patient transport, please check your appointment letter as this will let you know who to contact.

The Transport Assessment and Booking (TAB) Team and hospital staff are responsible for assessing patients� eligibility under the national criteria. The assessment consists of a set of questions and can take up to 5-10 minutes to complete. The assessment is confidential and will be recorded in your medical record.

A friend, relative or carer can call on your behalf if you need help with the assessment.

The assessment contact numbers are:

St Georges Hospital � 020 8725 0808 (not all clinics are covered by this number so please check your appointment letter)

Queen Mary’s Hospital � 020 8487 6012 (if this is your first appointment, you will need to ask your GP to book your first transport journey)

How far in advance should I call to be assessed?

ÌýTo help us plan our transport services efficiently we need three working daysâ€� notice (excluding weekends and public Bank Holidays) and a maximum of two weeks before your appointment.

If you are unable to call three days in advance, we will make every effort to accommodate these short notice requests, if possible.

Will you confirm my transport booking?

ÌýYes, at the time of your booking we will provide you with a unique journey reference number and on the day before your hospital appointment our transport provider will call to:

• make sure you are still coming to your appointment.
• confirm your address.
• tell you the approximate pick-up time.
• check that the correct type of vehicle has been booked for you.

ÌýCan I have an escort?

ÌýWe will assess whether an escort is needed following the NHS England national criteria.

ÌýWhat happens when I get to the hospital?

ÌýYou will be dropped off at the front of the hospital and if you need any assistance we will help or organise for a porter to assist. The porter request may take up to 30 minutes.

ÌýWhat happens when I am ready to go home?

ÌýIf you need to collect any medication from the Pharmacy, please do so before letting us know that you are ready to go home.

We will try our best to get you home as soon as we can. We do try to collect most of our patients within 90 minutes, but on very busy days, you may have to wait up to 3 hours to be collected.

Please note, that journeys are planned to make the most effective use of our vehicles. This means that other patients may share the same vehicle with you.

ÌýAppointment cancellations

ÌýIf your appointment has been cancelled, rescheduled or no longer needed, please call us to let us know on 020 8725 0808, as soon as possible so we can cancel your transport.

Public Transport

ÌýTransport for London Journey Planner

ÌýReimbursing your travel costs

»ªÌå»á receiving benefits such as Income Support, Job Seekersâ€� Allowance, or Pension Credit may be eligible for travel cost reimbursement.

How to claim:

1. Visit this website to access a claim form:

ÌýCar Parking Charges

Parking at St George’s Hospital is limited due to the high demand from patients, visitors, staff, and the need for emergency vehicle access.

Visitors can use the pay-on-exit car park, accessible from Blackshaw Road.

Parking charges are displayed at the entrance:

• £2.50 per hour
• £25 fixed daily rate over 8 hours
• Concessions are available so please ask the staff in the ward or department you are visiting
• Parking free between 22:00 and 06:00

Car Park Pay Stations

You can pay contactless or cash at Security Control (Ground floor, Grosvenor Wing, near Marks and Spencers) or at the Pay on Exit Pay Stations by the main public car park exit. The car park is not run as a commercial operation. All money goes directly to support the work of the hospital. Charging for use of the car park is also necessary to reduce the growth in traffic onto the site, and the Trust fully supports the Government’s aim of reducing traffic pollution across the country. The car park is patrolled by parking attendants.

Parking restrictions:ÌýOnly staff and blue badge holders are permitted to park along the hospital’s perimeter road.

Who is exempt from car parking charges?

• Police and Prison Service
• Volunteer Ambulance Car Drivers
• Disabled blue badge holders
• Volunteers
• Renal patients attending for dialysis
• Bereaved relatives
• Interpreters

Disabled parking is available free of charge to drivers displaying a blue badge in:

• any of the reserved disabled spaces available near the entrances of each of the hospital wings.
• any white-painted bay on the perimeter road around the hospital. These bays are designated for staff and blue badge holders.

If parked in the barrier controlled car park the blue badge holder must take the ticket and blue badge for validation to the security desk in Grosvenor wing or AMW reception before they leave the hospital.

If you need assistance on arrival, e.g. a porter, please call our portering helpdesk on 020 8725 2134

Car parking concessions policy

Who is eligible for a weekly permit?

£10 weekly permits are available for those with:

• Next of kin (one per patient) of patients on ICU or any paediatric ward
• »ªÌå»á having transplants or chemotherapy
• Next of kin (one per patient) of any inpatient

Ìý Ìý Daily rate of £8 (fixed), who qualifies?

• Partners of women in labour
• Parents of children undergoing paediatric day care within the hospital
• Emergency cases whereby patients are on-site much longer than anticipated because their medical condition deteriorates. This covers the next of kin if applicable.
• Next of kin of patient that is called to site as a result of clinical deterioration
• »ªÌå»á attending Outpatient and Emergency departments who are delayed over 4 hours.

Ìý Ìý If a patient fits into one of the above categories, what do I do?

• Trust Staff fill in patient/visitors application form
• Trust staff complete type of concession
• Trust staff add budget code
• Obtain signature
• Patient to take for to Security.
• If a patient or a relative is requesting aÌý£10 concession formÌý(PDF), they can ask for a form from the ward the patient will be staying on. The form will be completed and has to be signed by the ward along with a budget code before being taken to the security office for validationÌýas perÌýthe Quick Guide to concessions policyÌý(PDF) (PDF)Ìý(PDF).

Please contact wards or departments for further details.

ÌýCar parking at Queen Mary’s Hospital

Car parking at Queen Mary’s is charged by the hour. Collect a ticket at the gate when you enter the car park and pay before you exit. All of our ticket machines accept £5 and £10 notes.

Parking costs:

• First 15 minutes: Free
• One hour: £2.00
• Two hours: £4.00
• Three hours: £6.00
• Four hours: £8.00 (This is also the maximum daily parking charge)

Blue badge holders may park free of charge in any of the designated parking bays.

There are seven motorcycle bays that are available free of charge.

The care park has two drop off and pick up points, one at the end of the bridge leading to the ground floor entrance and one just outside the lower ground floor entrance. Look the map of the site for more details.