Homeward Bound: People's experience of using patient transport to return home from hospital in West Yorkshire

During December 2015 and January 2016, the five Healthwatch organisations in West Yorkshire carried out a survey with 545 patients and carers at 14 hospital sites across the region about their past and present patient transport return journeys from hospital.

Many patients were very complimentary and grateful for the patient transport service but recognised clear areas for improvement. This report focuses on these areas. Key themes arising from the survey are: 

430 (74%) journeys involved patients waiting 90 minutes or less for their patient transport. 224 (40%) of these involved a wait of 30 minutes or less. 133 (24%) journeys incurred a wait of more than the locally agreed 90 minute target waiting time, with 36 (6%) having a wait of more than 3 hours. 

349 (89%) patients/carers who responded said they were not given updates about their transport whilst they were waiting. This was one of the reasons that patients rated communication from patient transport providers as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘poor’. 

Patients/carers were on the whole very complimentary about the caring and helpful attitude of patient transport staff.

 People felt that there could be better co-ordination and communication within the patient transport service as well as between patient transport and staff in hospitals.

91 (25%) respondents felt unable to access food or drink or use the toilet whilst they were waiting for their transport. Some were afraid to go for fear of missing their transport. 82 (21%) respondents didn’t feel they could ask for help from staff whilst waiting for their transport either because they didn’t know who to ask, felt staff were too busy or found it difficult to access the reception desk without assistance. 

258 (67%) respondents did not know how to raise concerns about patient transport. 

Only 1 out of the 14 hospital sites Healthwatch visited had a poster displayed about how to raise a concern with YAS.