Care Home asking for taxi fare to attend hospital appointment

Bhaje

Hi I am not familiar with Care Homes and costs  and will appreciate your advice.

My brother went into a care home after the carers attending to him at his residence decided that it was not safe for him to continue living on his own due to poor health etc... I went to visit him recently and he told me that the care home want him to fund his own taxi to take him to hospital appointments. He is not able to walk for long distances and cannot travel on public transport, his memory is failing. Does not the hospital provide transportation in such cases? My brother is nearly eighty years old. I have given the care home money to cover the fare but I am a bit sceptical.

 Thanks

Keep_pedalling

Hospitals can provide transport but the criteria for who gets it is quite restrictive as per my local hospital. 

https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/patient-transport-service/

From experience with my mother the service can be unreliable with patients being late for appointments and they are usually left hanging round for transport home after their appointment.

Savvy_Sue

Plus, someone will presumably go with your brother, and if that's a member of staff they will want them off-site for as short a time as possible AND the transport service may not be able to accommodate carers.

elsien

The full guidance is here.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf

 Most care homes that I visit don’t have their own transport so people who go to appointments either have friends or family take them or pay for a taxi. For those who are eligible for hospital transport there can be an awful lot of waiting around and delays in getting there. It’s more usual where there’s a medical need such as dialysis.


 There was a thread on here awhile ago where the person has also been asked to pay the additional cost of staff to accompany them, and I’ve also seen residents being sent on their own then coming back and not being able to tell anyone what was said.

Who is supporting your brother with his finances as there shouldn’t be a need for you to pay for him.