"Times of collection. "

Dear Lee Kay

Thank you for taking the time to share your story.I am very sorry to hear about your experience while waiting for transport.

Our non-emergency ambulance service is predominantly a 'pre-planned' service, that is to say that we plan all the journeys 24 hours before they take place. This is to ensure that we utilise our transport as efficiently as possible and that everyone gets transport that is suitable for their care needs and their mobility. Any new bookings, or altered pick up times can be challenging to accomodate, as it would rely on a vehicle being available at that time.

Our contractual obligations for these types of bookings are to pick patients up within 4 hours and 45 minutes of receiving the request but of course we try to arrange transport as early as we can. This includes the use of local taxis to ensure our patients are transported as soon as possible after the request is recieved.

Without specific information it is difficult to comment fully on what happened on this occasion, however it is likely that the ambulances you saw were already allocated to patients and the crews were organising their collection, ensuring they had all of their belongings and medications with them. This may also have been because of unforeseen delays in out patient clinics.

I hope this explanation goes some way to giving you an understanding of what may have happened. However, if you would like us to look into the specific events surrounding your transport on this day please contact our Patient Experience team on 01392 261 585 and we will be very pleased to investigate this for you.

Thank you, again, for providing feedback.

Laura