Transport to Health Services, Devon
Download (PDF 547.92 KB)Summary of report content
In 2014, Healthwatch Devon conducted a survey to further explore and clarify peoples experience of transport services across Devon. A survey was developed and launched on the 1st May 2014, it was available online and in hard copy formats. People could also complete the survey over the telephone. Devon Link-Up facilitated focus group sessions to enable people with learning disabilities to take part, and the
Devon Disability Network encouraged participation from people with physical and sensory disabilities.
The key findings from the 230 responses were:
*One in five people said the transport they use is either not convenient, or prompt or affordable.
*Nearly two thirds of respondents did not know it was possible to get help with travel costs, or did not know how to make a claim.
*Patient Transport Service drivers are widely praised for goodwill and courtesy. The Single Point of Contact (SPOC) scheme is seen as a model of good practice. But punctuality is a problem, and one provider in particular has been the cause of numerous complaints.
*Bus services feature long journeys, complicated timetables and lack of connections. Early morning appointments are difficult to get to by bus, journeys are long, and evening appointments are hard to get home from. People with bus passes may not be able to use them on early buses.
*Travelling distance matters. The further away a service, the harder it is to get there if you are reliant on public transport, and the harder it is for friends and relatives to visit or offer practical support.
*Parking is difficult for some car drivers, with inadequacy of spaces, and long walking distances from car park to building. But the Park and Ride scheme for the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital was praised for convenience and accessibility.
*Cost is a concern - particularly when bus users have to go by taxi instead. The possibility, in some cases, to reclaim travel costs, is not well known.
Recommendations were made to commissioners, providers, the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board and the Devon Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.
No response has been included within this report.