Healthwatch Bucks recently published a report which identifies that local people are still finding it difficult to access hospital services. The report attributes these difficulties to both gaps in transport services and a lack of awareness of transport options.
For many residents in Bucks, the stress, anxiety and cost associated with getting to their appointments has become a major issue.
This is a problem I have highlighted previously, when I caught the Arriva bus to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 2012 and investigated the journey to Wexham Park Hospital.
Communication about transport options needs improving to enhance patient experience. Healthwatch Bucks recommends that there should be:
- A clearly advertised central point where patients can find out about all transport options.
- Greater co-ordination between health, transport providers and Buckinghamshire County Council.
- A review of car parking and Community car schemes.
Healthwatch Bucks welcomes recent developments to improve transport services including Buckinghamshire County Council’s Public Transport Inquiry and the development/ planned development of car parking facilities at Stoke Mandevile and Wexham Park hospitals.
Richard Corbett, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Bucks, said
There remains much to be done to ensure that transport is no longer a blockage to accessing health services.”
I am encouraged that the report further shines the spotlight on these issues and hope that it progresses the debate surrounding the transport of patients and their families to Bucks Hospitals. It’s good to see Healthwatch rising to the challenge of championing patients’ interests.
