Lincolnshire health bosses apologise for issues with new non-emergency transport service
Health bosses have apologised for teething problems after the launch of a new non-emergency patient transport service.
NSL Care Services started providing the non-emergency transport for the NHS in Lincolnshire on July 1.
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But problems with the booking line has forced officials to apologise for any inconveniences.
Chris Dexter, general manager for NSL, said: "NSL Care Services would like to apologise to anyone who has experienced difficulty booking non-emergency patient transport in Lincolnshire using NSL's telephone number.
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"We are adding ten additional call handlers and ten additional phone lines to reduce the waiting times callers are experiencing and we hope that callers will experience a much improved level of service.
"We will shortly be announcing details of a new e-mail address which patients can use to check their appointments.
Working on behalf of the health community, NSL Care will transport patients, who are eligible for patient transport, to and from their scheduled health appointments.
Comments
by csrt_2006
Saturday, July 07 2012, 3:00PM
“Typical Echo "Health bosses" implies NHS.
NSL are the private company (making profit from a public service) given the contract to transport outpatients in Lincolnshire. They have had months to employ staff and deliver a service and in the first week have ably deomonstrated their inability to deliver any kind of service (if they can't get answering the phone correctly, don't expect anything else to run smoothly). Unfortunately you get what you pay for and it is, as always, the patient who suffers.”
by BertyDellEnde
Saturday, July 07 2012, 1:40PM
“This is not a govt. initiative! This is the hospital trusts awarding the contract to a cheaper provider instead of using the tried and tested one. Well the hospital trusts have git what they paid for, a poor service with continuing problems. Lets just hope the patients DO live to regret it and a lessen learned for the future.”
by annb21
Saturday, July 07 2012, 9:50AM
“I would have thought NSL would have had to guarantee to have all this kind of thing in place before they were awarded the contract. Once they were appointed, they had many months to get everything together before they took over.
It's not only Lincoln Hospital affected, NSL are also contracted to transport patients who live outside the North Lincs and North East Lincs boundaries to and from Grimsby and they have caused problems there too.”
by West_Lindsey
Saturday, July 07 2012, 9:38AM
“There seems a complete lack of specific information relating to this article like,
What does NSL and Chris Dexter, general manager stand for?
Is this a new privatised section of the NHS transport service for the public?
Is this a chargeable Service?
Does this Company have policy & Procedures to protect the vulnerable who are being affected and forced to change?
Are these changes happening because of the privatisation as legislated for by Mr Cameron and Langsley?
I do hope this comment will be allowed moderator?”