Following a procurement exercise, the service that transports patients to and from their dialysis appointments will be undertaken by three providers, each covering a designated area of the region.
 
City Taxis, Premier Care Direct and First 4 Care will provide a door-to-door service for patients across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.  Emphasis will be placed on meeting exacting key performance indicators which will ensure that patients are collected from home in a timely manner, transported to the units with the minimum of delay and collected promptly after their dialysis.  Using dedicated drivers will ensure that the services can provide a personalised and focused service.
 
The procurement exercise was undertaken by NHS Rotherham on behalf of the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw primary care trusts, following an audit by National Kidney Care that showed a significant number of patients thought that the current service could be improved.
 
Kidney dialysis patients in Sheffield have been transported to and from the Sheffield Satellite Dialysis Unit by City Taxis for the last two years.  The service is very well received as it provides patients with a more prompt and convenient service to and from the Dialysis Unit.
 
Patient, Barry Gray from Totley, has been on dialysis for six years, three days a week for four hours each time.  He has used the transport service for the past three years:
 
“At the beginning of my treatment I was taken by ambulance to the Northern General Hospital but three years ago I transferred to the Dialysis Unit at Broadfield Park.  A taxi now takes me to my appointments and back.
 
“Before, going in an ambulance could turn four hours of treatment into an all day event. It really wasn’t ideal. Knowing you need your treatment is one thing but knowing that I had the long journey there and back in the ambulance just added to my stress.
 
“In the ambulance, you have to stop and pick people up and the same happens on the way home. I couldn’t just have my treatment and go straight home, I knew I had a long journey to wait for and that could be very tiring.
 
 “Using the taxi service simplifies my care. I go, get my dialysis and go home.  I no longer have the nightmare situation of waiting around for other people, from various wards and places, when all I want is the comfort of my home. 
 
“I know that if there was an emergency or anything wrong, I’d get the emergency care that I’d need, as anyone would.
 
“Honestly, if anyone is being offered the taxi service, they should look forward to it. It really does make life easier.”
 
Nigel Parkes, Senior Contracts Manager at NHS Rotherham said: “The new service specification has been designed to ensure that patients receive a better and more focused service, from regular drivers, that meets their individual needs.  In particular we hope that patients will benefit from improved punctuality, better patient experience and more flexibility.
 
Whilst many patients will travel individually with the new services, where it is possible for patients to travel together without compromising the stringent quality requirements this will be done in order to provide an efficient service which provides value for money for the tax payer.
 
Kidney patients do not generally need any medical intervention during the journey.  All patients will continue to be screened for the level of support that they need by staff in the various renal units and any who do require more support during their journeys will be transported in appropriate vehicles and by suitably trained staff.

NHSR11 – P35