East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust Privatises Management of Passenger Transport Services

Following a review of the East Kent Non Emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) by the East Kent NHS Trust, "leadership and senior management" responsibilities are to be passed to the private sector.

The arrangements will mean that current and future PTS staff will remain in the employment of the Trust with leadership and senior management being provided by Mobilecare Ltd.

In a statement, Howard Jones, Director of Facilities for the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust said:

"We have decided to use the best of the private sector with the best of the NHS and have asked Mobilecare Ltd to provide their Patient Transport Service expertise to help improve the service we provide to our patients."

Shepway Lib Dem Lynne Beaumont said:

"It's important to bring the right expertise into the NHS. We shouldn't however be looking at privatisation of services for its own sake. The Passenger Transport Service relies heavily on volunteer drivers, and their work should be properly valued, and the views of those drivers taken on board in implementing this decision.

"Improved use of technology to ensure smoother communications is important - but so will be keeping volunteers motivated and involved.

"The Trust should also tell us what experience Mobilecare Ltd has in delivering Passenger Transport Services that persuaded them to work with Mobilecare. Taking that experience and learning from it could be really valuable in improving services in our part of Kent."

The East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust Patient Transport Service has 18 ambulances, six other vehicles and around 100 voluntary drivers who use their own vehicles to take patients to and from hospital.