NHS Travel Cost help please

v1ckyt

Hi All,

Wondering if anyone an help please.

Husband has being receiving treatment for bone cancer. We live in Dorset, and treatment has been in Oxford and Manchester, so not exactly local. We have applied for a certificate for help with NHS costs, and it has come back saying we have to pay the first £110 per week in travel costs, which is fine. What I can't find out though is what the amounts for the journeys would be, as we have had to drive, public transport not an option for husband for that distance due to surgery.

Do the NHS use a set £ per mile, and does anyone know what that is? Or would they only pay what the cost of a bus or train ticket would be? I don't want to bother making a claim, if we aren't eligible as the costs would be below the £110 we have to contribute.


Thanks in advance, 
Vicky

elsien

I think the mileage rate is a local agreement rather than nationwide. So I think you would need to contact whichever Hospital trust is going to be paying your costs and ask them the direct question.
Or this page has a link for your local ICB. (Integrated care board.) 

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/

I’d probably also be asking them where they got £110 from as well.
If you’re on Facebook there’s also an “NHS help with  health costs” page which says they can answer questions if you message them.

v1ckyt

elsien said:

I think the mileage rate is a local agreement rather than nationwide. So I think you would need to contact whichever Hospital trust is going to be paying your costs and ask them the direct question.
Or this page has a link for your local ICB. (Integrated care board.) 

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/

I’d probably also be asking them where they got £110 from as well.
If you’re on Facebook there’s also an “NHS help with  health costs” page which says they can answer questions if you message them.

Thank you, that is really helpful.

olgadapolga

elsien said:

I’d probably also be asking them where they got £110 from as well.
If you’re on Facebook there’s also an “NHS help with  health costs” page which says they can answer questions if you message them.

Wonder if that's some sort of tier for people who are eligible for partial help?

Whenever I've claimed travelling costs, it's been from the hospital at which I've received care.

elsien

Quite possibly yes. Always helpful to have clarity though on how organisations arrive at the sums that they do. 

Spoonie_Turtle

OP says a certificate for help with health costs, so presumably the NHS Low Income Scheme and that's the amount they've deemed OP and husband to have spare.

x_raphael_xx

I work for a taxi company that has an account with the local NHS Trust. We have done some long distance jobs/hospital transport etc.
They book journeys on behalf of the patient and we bill them, at our taxi rates. Although I'm not sure what they then do at their end, I would assume they bill the patient.
Our local NHS Trust may work differently than yours, but I would imagine they have a similar system.

Brie

I don't know what rate the NHS uses, and in particular your local area's rate.  But the standard rate for business travel is 45p per mile so I would think it might be around that amount.  

Assuming they calculate things similarly.....
Bournemouth to Oxford is just under 100 miles - so 200 for a round trip is £90.
Bournemouth to Manchester is about 250 miles - so 500 for a round trip is £225.

Given the distance to Manchester I'd be checking also if you can include hotel etc as that's a long drive particularly if only one of you is feeling up to it.  

v1ckyt

Thanks everyone. 

Re the £110, yes it's the NHS Low Income Scheme. I am still working part time, and having submitted all our financial details, the calculation has come back that we have to contribute the first £110 of travel costs each week, which is fine. 

Round trips wise, it is 250 miles to Oxford, and 450 to Manchester, so if I assume 45p per mile, then we wouldn't get anything towards the Oxford trips, unless we have to travel twice in one week, which only happened once in August, prior to getting the certificate.

But it could well be worth us submitting a claim for the trip recent to Manchester. I have contacted the cashier's office at the hospital, to ask what their mileage rate is, and will then see if it is worth it, after deducting the £110 we need to contribute first.

Regarding the accommodation, The Christie arranged accommodation for my husband as the visits ranged from 3 days to 6 weeks, thank goodness for the NHS, they have been amazing, and thank you all for your comments.

olgadapolga

It's never going to be 45p/mile!! When I last claimed (this month) I was told that the rate was 12p/mile. This was for a car with a 1.6ltr engine - that particular NHS trust gives slightly different rates according to engine size. 

I have no idea whether different trusts have different rates though.

v1ckyt

Just popped back on to say I had a reply from Manchester, and they pay 14p per mile, so around £36 each way. Our HC3 amount is more than this, and deductible each week, so we aren't eligible for any help, but maybe this info will be useful for someone else. 

Thank you everyone who commented.