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Health Bill [HL]

This is a non-clinical and very practical amendment. I shall be very brief, because there is one other important amendment to consider tonight. I have tabled the amendment because of concerns that I have been made aware of that an existing failure to co-ordinate transport for patients is both wasting public funds and making travel to and from hospital unnecessarily difficult for many people. For example, I have been told that 25 per cent of the "did not attends" at Newham Hospital can be attributed to transport problems. This is a problem that will have been distressing for the patients concerned, who may not get another appointment for some time, and it is at an incredible cost to the NHS, which has a statutory duty to provide patient transport. While it is right for patients to have such transport provided, I suggest that it is not sensible for the NHS to be providing this service without any consideration as to whether passenger transport authorities, unitary authorities and county councils might assist in meeting that need, possibly at a much lower cost than that faced by the NHS. My amendment seeks to insert a clause requiring primary care trusts and hospital trusts to co-ordinate and co-operate with those other authorities to address this issue. I beg to move.