Experiences of using non-emergency patient transport in Derbyshire

Healthwatch Derbyshire negative feedback had been received from patients in regard to non-emergency patient transport services. It was felt that a targeted piece of engagement would help to explore the issues and give both the provider and commissioner a detailed picture of how patients experience the service. Renal patients were chosen as they use the patient transport service very frequently.

At the planning stage for this engagement, we spoke to East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) as the provider, and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (DCCG), the commissioners. We also looked in detail at the themes from the feedback we had received. This helped us to develop a range of questions that we asked during an informal interview process with participants. The engagement was carried out between January and April 2018.