Big Health Day Health and Transport: Initiatives in Greater Manchester

Facilitating this morning’s session David Campbell – GMCVO’s Transport Resource Unit Steve Travis – Transport for Communities and also with us today Hadrian Collier – Programme Manager NHS Commissioning Business Service

Our Background David & Steve work with GM Community Transport Forum Umbrella body for the ‘CT’ sector in GM Building a professional, accountable, vibrant CT sector CTs offer local transport, not for profit, for social needs Hadrian Collier - NHS Commissioning Business Service Change / Initiative delivery Trial and roll-out of new Patient Transport Service (PTS) eligibility criteria

Health & Transport in GM Growing demand and expectation for transport to and from where health services are delivered Related to increasing pressures on NHS Pressure of deficit reduction measures / cuts Changes to how services are delivered leading to changing travel requirements and patterns: –Consolidation of a range of services e.g. LIFT centres –Centralisation of services e.g maternity, paediatric services –Personalisation –Future – White Paper / GP-led commissioning

Health and Transport in GM Transport (or its absence) can be a barrier to accessing health services for some residents & communities Negative implications for patients and service providers, disproportionately affecting deprived & vulnerable groups We have an understanding of this from the experience of –PCTs & Patient Transport Service –Transport Authorities –POPPs projects –Voluntary sector and community organisations Specifics of scale of problem and how it affects specific groups unclear though.

Health and Transport in GM Demand for PTS and inconsistent application of rules Led to incidents where patients whose condition meant PTS vehicle and support from staff was essential –Could not access the service. PTS focus on prioritising and making sure those patients get the support they need. Other patients will be guided to alternatives e.g. friends / family cars, taxi, public transport – Community Transport? Existing / conventional transport services may be unable or unwilling to respond

Health and Transport in GM Economic situation and deficit reduction measures placing unprecedented pressure on support and subsidy for transport Especially where it helps provide services for social needs, keeping residents and communities connected to services Alternative approaches including ‘Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) applied and explored as options Range of partners already working together & collaborating to develop ‘integrated social needs transport’ solutions

Patient Transport Service New Eligibility Criteria

Discussion Are these issues familiar to you? Are you aware of situations where transport (or its absence) acts as a barrier to services for patients? Is this a challenge for your organisation and its services? Can you see how the proposals for new models of health service provision might affect patients’ access to services? Can you see how the new eligibility criteria for PTS might affect patients access to services? Or are these issues not familiar or a priority for you? Are your issues around patients access to services different?

New and Alternative Approaches Community Transport & the GM CT Forum –Local operators responsive & flexible –Can offer transport for those who don’t need support of PTS vehicle and staff, but is appropriate for them –Forum offers structure to facilitate GM-wide working –‘Hospital to Home’, Rochdale –Volunteer Car & Driver Schemes Transport for Sick Children (longstanding) Rochdale (generated by POPPs)

New and Alternative Approaches Integrated Social Needs Transport –Collaborative Model –Bring together public, voluntary and private sector transport providers –IT provides single point of contact across GM and structure for ‘Booking, Scheduling & Dispatch’ –Needs of user met using the most appropriate transport provider available at the time –Passenger is important, not the vehicle or provider ‘Community Cabs’

Discussion Are you familiar with these initiatives? Are / could these approaches be of value and benefit to the people you support and your organisation? What could be done to promote these schemes? Or should other things be done / are there other priorities to support access to services? Do you have ideas about how these approaches should be refined or modified to provide most benefits to users? Do you have any other ideas of your own?

Summary Conclusions What might happen next? –(does anyone know - !) Community Transport in GM –Next steps.

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