West Midlands Ambulance Service were celebrating on Sunday evening when the non-emergency patient transport services contract for Wolverhampton and Dudley was officially handed over.

The multi-million pound contract means the Trust will complete about 160,000 patient journeys a year to New Cross and Russells Hall Hospitals as well as a number of other venues.  It was awarded after a competitive tender and, in conjunction with similar deals for other areas, means WMAS now provides transport for over one million patient journeys a year. It is also the first time that Trust has provided this service in this area for many years. taking over the contract from NSL Limited.

The transport service will operate from strategically based sites in Dudley and Wolverhampton, with a control room at Trust Headquarters in Brierley Hill.

Those eligible to use the contract will include those having certain outpatients appointments, day procedures and regular treatments such as renal dialysis, cancer treatment and physiotherapy.   

West Midlands Ambulance Service has worked closely with Dudley and Wolverhampton CCG's to develop a service that will deliver a range of improvements for patients. These include dedicated booking hubs for each area, providing travel advice for patients, trained staff to ensure patients receive the best possible care and a specially designed fleet of vehicles that include the latest technology. WMAS Commercial Services Director, Mark Gough, said:

“This is excellent news for the West Midlands Ambulance Service and re-affirms our commitment to try and grow our PTS services as much as possible. We now have over 60% of the PTS market in the West Midlands and we are working hard to grow that still further through the excellent level of service that we provide. 

“An incredible amount of hard work has already been put in to make sure we are ready and we will continue to work hard to ensure we provide the best service possible to patients.”

Paul Maubach, Chief Executive Officer, Dudley CCG added: “We are delighted that the new service provider is up and running and we will continue to work with them to provide a high quality of service to our patients.

“Patients are still encouraged to make their own way to NHS appointments wherever possible. However, if they have a mobility issue, which means they are unable to travel by car, taxi, public transport, or community transport, they can contact PTS to see if they are eligible for transport.

“This service will operate on the same criteria as previously but we are keen for patients to make a note of the new number to call to avoid any inconvenience at the time of booking.”

An eligibility criteria will continue to be used as before, set out by Dudley and Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Groups, and is designed to identify your actual medical and mobility requirements. Patients in Dudley will have a new number to call to make their transport bookings: 01384 679 047, whilst those in Wolverhampton should continue to call the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust on 01902 694 999.

Please ensure you have the following information to hand when you call: Name, date of birth; NHS Number; pick up and destination addresses including the postcodes; GP name and practice address; and the date and time of your appointment.