Patient transport debacle costs NHS Trust £40,000

Coperforma took over the contract to provide non-emergency patient transport on April 1.

But hundreds of patients were left waiting for hours after ambulances did not arrive to take them to hospital.

Those affected included patients with cancer and severe kidney failure, who missed important appointments for treatment.

Dr Adrian Bull, chief executive of the Trust which runs the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and Eastbourne’s DGH, has revealed that some patients who had been discharged from hospital had been forced to stay another night after patient transport failed to materialise.

And in one case, an outpatient was forced to stay overnight.

The debacle has forced the cash-strapped Trust to make its own arrangements for patient transport, making a dent in its finances.

In his report to a meeting of the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust board, held at the DGH on Wednesday (June 8), Dr Bull said: “Patient transport issues remain a major concern.

“They are causing significant patient dissatisfaction and pose a safety risk to many patients.

“There is no evidence of improvement.

“Many patients are not attending appointments and there are significant delays in discharge.”

Dr Bull added that the problem ‘may be particularly acute in Eastbourne’.