Ambulance Transport and Community Options

The following criteria apply:

North Somerset Eligibility Criteria

• Patient requires continual support and skills of patient transport staff to enable travel
• Patient requires the skills of patient transport staff to administer oxygen during the journey 
• Patients with dementia/mental health conditions requiring the skills of transport staff
   to ensure a safe journey
• Patients who have received treatment which requires the skill of patient transport staff to ensure a safe journey home (this does not include patients suitable to travel in a taxi)
• Patients who require travel by a stretcher
• Inter hospital transfers 

Somerset Eligibility Criteria

• Patients who required prescribed oxygen   
• Patients who need intravenous support 
• Patients who require to travel by a stretcher 
• Patient unable to stand or walk more than a few steps, unable to use a car/ public transport
• Patients who depend on medical equipment or aids that cannot fit within a bus or taxi 
• Patient’s treatment is too debilitating to use a car, bus or taxi
• Patient’s illness, condition or disability prevents the use of a car, bus or taxi unaided

Patients who are not eligible for Patient Transport should use alternative transport options. These include public transport, community transport, healthcare travel costs scheme, and the use of either their own transport or transport provided by friends or relatives. 

Patient leaflets

• Bristol, South Gloucestershire & North Somerset Patient Information Leaflet is available from Bristol NHS transport website
• Somerset Patient Information Leaflet is available from Somerset NHS or from the hospital
• Community Transport Options for North Somerset is available from the North Somerset Council website