Hospital Transport - Appeal Letter

[HSM]

Hello everyone, I'll cut straight to the chase. I don't know if in the states or anywhere else you guys have hospital transport but here in England we do. Anyway my point is being 23 (just turned 23 on the 26th of July & watched The Dark Knight - WHAT A FILM. lol.) they have tried to take me off transport before. The thing is I dialyze from 6pm to 10pm and they have been having a lot of staff leaving recently and most nights we don't leave until about 11 o'clock - half eleven.

I believe my age is relevant because they seem to believe if you are young and on dialysis you don't feel the effects much or are still fine after a dialysis session. I honestly haven't got a clue how they justify their actions to themselves.

They now are saying I don't meet the criteria to have transport. Which means that I will have to catch 2 buses home after dialysis. The journey would take me about 1 hour minimum. Not only is that unsafe at that time of night but silly because obviously just being on dialysis isn't reason enough for transport. I've asked my GP for help, asked the dialysis unit manager and unfortunately they are powerless to interfere.

The only hope I have is that I am entitled to write an appeal if I disagree with their decision. I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar or the same situation and can help. Maybe someone could tell me what they look for in an appeal letter.

Any information will be greatly appreciated. I really hope someone in cyberspace can help, please anyone with anything that can help please let me know.

Thanks for your time guys & girls, take care!

HSM

[rose1999]

Hi, I'm in the UK too, I'm a carer for my Dad (79) who is on dialysis. They tried to take him  off transport in the early days and I wrote and told them that he was too weak after dialysis to contemplate driving home (we are about 25 miles from the unit) and that if he did and any problem whatsoever occurred then I would sue them for negligence. Don't know if that helped but they immediately wrote and said he was on permenant transport!! 

As it turned out they were coming at any time for him (up to 3 hours before his shift started and sometimes 10 minutes after!!) which meant he was on tenterhooks wondering when/if they would arrive, they were also taking him all over the place on the way home, sometimes taking 2 or 3 hours and momoreably 4 hours once!  We complained but it did no good so we gave up and now pay for a taxi for him, it costs £100 a week and we have to go without other things (holidays, nights out etc) but it is worth it to see how much better he is now.

Write or ring and say you are not well enough to travel on public transport, that particularly at that time of night it is unreasonable for them to expect you to and that you will hold them responsible if anything happens.  If they force you into it then get onto the local press, local TV  and your MP, it's absolutely disgraceful to expect you to do this.  You must not let them walk all over you. I'll write to them on your behalf if you think it would help, PM me if want to.

Good luck. Rose.

[KICKSTART]

Strange it must vary from place to place ! I do PD but get hospital transport for all my clinic appts . I dont really think your age has anything to do with it , more like cut-backs. I think someone is trying it on with you tbh , some people would just accept it. Tell them if they cant provide transport , then you cant attend dialysis. In your appeal make a point of all the things that would make it difficult for you to get to and from dialysis , plus ask them how they would like to go through all that then have to get on public transport! I would really kick up a stink , find out who decides who gets transport and speak to them direct .

[monrein]

Great advice KS and Rose.  I'd both tell this to the transport people but I'd also put it in writing and copy it to whomever you can.  After that if they still argue, is there a social worker (a GOOD one obviously) who could get involved??  How about a local politician type person??

Last resort....

[okarol]

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is a UK parliamentary act made a law against the discrimination of anyone with respect to his or her disabilities in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, education and transport. In fact, it is a civil rights law.
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Here's an article from DisabilityNow.org -- http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/protest-over-hospital-transport-201cdiscrimination201d

Protest over hospital transport “discrimination”

John Pring

St Thomas Protesters are set to demonstrate outside a major London hospital over what they say are its discriminatory policies on patient transport services.

The campaigners say patients who use London’s Taxicard transport service or have a car of their own – even if they cannot drive it – are barred from using the patient transport service run by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in south London.

Transport for All – the accessible transport-users charity, which is organising the protest – said the hospital’s policies put disabled people “under economic house arrest”.

One patient, Rose, who has cancer and needs to visit the hospital four to eight times a month for treatment, has been refused patient transport and was told instead that she had to use her 12 Taxicard journeys a month to travel to and from the hospital.

She has no spare money to pay for journeys to see friends, or go to the supermarket, church, library or cinema.

She said: “The hospital has put me under house arrest. I really miss going out to see my friends.”

Faryal Velmi, co-director of Transport for All, said: “It is forcing disabled people to use their Taxicard on hospital appointments rather than what it is meant for, to live independent lives and have a social life.

“It is making disabled people completely dependent on friends and relatives.”

The protest is due to take place outside St Thomas’ Hospital during its open day tomorrow (Saturday, 21 June), from 11am.

The hospital trust said it provides 170,000 free, non-emergency patient transport journeys every year.

A trust spokeswoman said patient transport was provided “on the basis of clinical and mobility needs” and access to other means of transport, and not on a patient’s ability to pay.

She said the trust’s eligibility critieria for non-emergency patient transport exceeds Department of Health guidelines.
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That led me to this Eligibility criteria for patient transport services (PTS) --  http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_078373

Not sure if that helps, but might be useful to know the criteria before sending your letter.

[G-Ma]

Although not in the UK I wonder why the D Unit Coordinator doesn't adjust your schedule so you can ride Public Transportation.  That should be a right you have.