Some great news to share with you!
The NHS has committed to improving transport services for older people to and from hospital, and our campaigning, alongside Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group and Age UK, had a big part to play in this win.
In 2018 and 2019, we campaigned to put an end to the painful journeys that so many older people have to make, to get to hospital. The Government and NHS didn′t see this as a priority until we started raising our concerns and made sure they listened to the awful experiences people were having.
Our hard work pushed the NHS to finally review the transport services made available to patients who need to get to appointments and can′t get there any other way.
The NHS have now completed their review, and they′re taking many of the recommendations on board! The NHS is going to improve the eligibility criteria for patient transport, and make sure people don′t have to wait for hours to get to and from their appointments.
They′ve also promised to simplify the travel costs scheme as well so if you need to claim back the cost of your travel to hospital, it will be much easier.
This is going to make a huge difference, and the combined efforts of Age UK, Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group and Access in Dudley have paid off. This win is a reminder that by speaking out together, we can change the things that matter to us.