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NHS - Patient Transport Services

Delivering Best Practice Logistics

Patient Transport Services (PTS) at an Acute Trust includes the movement of non emergency patients, samples, equipment and materials required for the day to day running of the hospital

The Challenge

• The total PTS spend was 10 times higher than the figure originally assumed in the hospital 'Transport' budget.
• There was little coordination or control of the transport ordering across multiple sites and user groups and no measurement of service performance.
• The single contractual agreement had not been renegotiated for 7 years and less than half of the contracts had up to date Service Level Agreements There was also no common basis for performance monitoring in place.
• Transport service failures were responsible for up to 15% of 4 hour A&E failures and low levels of customer service.

The ProActive [Weir] Approach

• The ProActive [Weir] team analysed and identified the transport requirements, usage and optimal solutions across 3 Trust sites and a wide range of services.
• All contracts were revised and renegotiated and common Service Level Agreements were established with sustainability and environmental considerations built in.
• The team also recruited and trained a specialist, fully equipped support team and implemented a Central Transport Ordering and Allocation process. This ensured 'right quality/best value' transport is available as needed throughout the Trust services.

The Results

• Total savings in excess of £500,000 were identified.
• Annualised costs were reduced by over £380,000 after 6 months.
• Improved patient care.
• Reduced burden on front line staff.
• 15% reduction in transport miles.

"Working with ProActive [Weir] has enabled the Trust to deliver a significant cost saving that otherwise would not have been available to us in the scale or timeframe achieved"

Deputy Director of Facilities