Patients needing a lift to get to our hospitals will experience more comfortable and convenient journeys from a new shared transport service.

We are joining forces with the Barts Health group to help patients who would otherwise struggle to get to and from appointments because of a medical condition or mobility issue.

We currently contract out our non-emergency patient transport (NEPT) service to G4S. From October these 77,000 annual journeys will be provided by the Barts Health in-house service, which already provides 356,000 trips a year.

The vehicles in our fleet are older and needing repair. This affects patient experience, drives up cost and adversely affects the service offered to those who need it. Both partners will benefit from a new fleet of 37 ULEZ compliant vehicles.

The new fleet will reduce our carbon emissions, making the service more environmentally friendly and providing a more reliable and comfortable experience for patients.

A joint service under a single team will increase vehicle efficiency, achieve quicker turnaround times for collections, and ensure equality of experience.

Barts Health will welcome around 100 new NEPT employees who used to be on the G4S contract, and they will get improved pay and conditions from joining the NHS.

Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive and Group Deputy Chief Executive, said: “It’s really good news for patients that they’ll be brought to our hospitals in more comfortable, reliable vehicles that will reduce our carbon footprint. Coming to hospital can be an anxious time and not having to worry about getting there can make a big difference.

“Having a shared service further demonstrates the benefits of our collaboration with Barts Health - crucially, it will help us to use taxpayer’s money more efficiently while continuing to improve the experience of our patients.”