The need for a Community Car Association was identified at the following meeting:
The Future of Hospital Transport
Meeting held 28th February 2007 at the Birnam Institute, Birnam
by Dunkeld
Present:
Sue Sadler
Chair PKCTG
Jane Laahs
Voluntary Services Manager NHS Tayside
Mark Scholes
Head of Support Services NHS Tayside (PRI)
John Berry
Public Transport Officer, P&K Council, Perth
Kathleen Coffey
WRVS
Lorraine English
WRVS
Anne Munro
Kinross-shire Volunteer Group and Rural Outreach Scheme
Kelvin Reay
Kinross-shire Volunteer Group and Rural Outreach Scheme
Morna Calcott
Kinross-shire Volunteer Group and Rural Outreach Scheme
Mary Dickson
P&K Public Partnership Health Group
Arthur Andrews
P&K Public Partnership Health Group
Inga Appleton
Pitlochry Senior Citizens
David Charity
Pitlochry Senior Citizens
Eileen Colley
Alyth, Meigle and District Nursing and Samaritans Association
Liz Lines
Aberfeldy
Hospital Cars
Angela Prescott
Rural Development Worker PKCTG
Apologies:
Bill O’Driscoll
Vice Chair PKCTG and PTU, P&K Council
Neill Aitken
On behalf of Comrie Hospital Car Service
Ian Golding
Scottish Ambulance Service
Steve Robertson
Scottish Ambulance Service
Dr K.E.M. McNeill
The Strathmore Surgery, Blairgowrie
Dick Laing
Perth
Access Cars
Isobel Watson
Pitlochry Senior Citizens
Linda Taylor
Voluntary Sector and Social Inclusion Officer NHS Tayside (Dundee)
Evelyn Gardiner
Head of Planning and Performance PRI Perth
1. Introductions
All present gave a brief introduction
2. Why this meeting?
Sue Sadler identified that changes in transport organisation ie the Regional Transport Strategy and changes
in Ambulance Transport and eligibility were the reason for the meeting. A small study by a Public Health Nurse had revealed
that health staff feel that hospital schemes are extremely important but knew very little of hospital cars, and often wanted
to distance themselves. The Chair explained that although there is not a crisis this feels like the right time to look at
issues and hopefully reach some conclusions as to how PKCTG can support Hospital Car Schemes. In our current funding crisis
PKCTG will still continue to exist with a voluntary committee.
3. Benefits and Challenges for Hospital
Car Schemes
The following benefits were identified:
¨
The service
is used where there is a lack of public transport
¨
Volunteer satisfaction,
they enjoy it – an investment for their future
¨
The service
gives provision where the PTS is not available
¨
Delivering people
where they need to be, when they need to be and on time with the minimum fuss
¨
Personal Support
is provided to users
¨
The service
is flexible
¨
Removal of worry
and concern for the user
¨
Organised hospital
pick ups
¨
The service
provides a top quality door to door service
The following challenges were identified:
¨
Those operating
the service are not carers
¨
Users may use
the service as a ‘choice’ to avoid the ambulance
¨
There is frequently
a lack of information provided about the passenger
¨
Too much assistance
is required by some passengers
¨
The role of
the GP and the PTS
¨
Recruiting Volunteers
¨
Transferring
the patient/passenger from car park to hospital reception
¨
Disclosures,
including complexity for organisations, putting off volunteers and uncertain value
¨
How far do we
go down the path of personal assistance?
Discussion revealed the following points:
There is a need to balance good practice with good will.
There has been a long standing issue of liability within the NHS with regard to transferring the passenger
from transport to reception. Mark Scholes confirmed that porters and hospital staff are not encouraged to go out to the parking
area.
The SAS policy is to transport people who may need medical intervention during the journey. There is
an ill-defined gap that doesn’t seem to be anyones responsibility.
A letter was read out from a hospital car service who felt that regulations should not be applied to
those who do not need them eg groups who do not transport young or vulnerable individuals should not have to have disclosure
checks or be swept up in regulations.
4. Options for the Future
(a) Status
Quo
While some groups might want to continue as they are, others are keen to explore the potential advantages
of working together particularly on difficult areas such as risk management and insuring against legal liabilities. However, the strength and vitality of hospital car services lies in being organised and delivered on a
very local basis, by and for local people. Local organisation and independence
must be retained.
(b) Co-operative
Action
Sue Sadler tabled the PKCTG Members Support Scheme as an example of co-operative action. This led to
a discussion about disclosures and vulnerability. While all present agreed it may be a way forward, there was concern from
two groups that enforcing disclosure would mean losing volunteers. If the members support scheme stated that all ‘new’
volunteers would have to undertake disclosure checks then some fears may be allayed.
The cost of joining the members support scheme and associated insurance was likely to be in the region
of £150. This was felt to be achievable by those present, albeit with difficulty
for some. Consideration will be given to the development of a sliding scale that reflects the level of operations of individual
members.
It was a consensus of the meeting that a Community Car Association would allow for schemes to remain
entirely independent but allow them to take advantage of working cooperatively. Cooperative action would be useful in the
areas of
¨
Sharing information
¨
Tackling disclosures
¨
Tackling insurance/risk
management
¨
Negotiating
with other bodies such as TACTRAN, Community Health Councils, Hospitals etc
(c) A single
car scheme
Nobody was in favour of a regional car scheme for the whole of Perth
and Kinross as it was felt that so many of the benefits of hospital car schemes such as volunteers and fundraising depend
on a local approach.
(d) Other
options
No alternative options were presented.
5. The Way Forward
The Meeting agreed that there is a need to establish a Community Car Association. The Association should meet and act separately from, but with links to PKCTG.
The new Community Car Association should provide insurance for it’s members and disclosure for
new volunteers in line with the Members Support Scheme drafted by PKCTG.
Sue Sadler and Angela Prescott agreed to follow up with insurance companies and investigate the best
organisational arrangements to move forward.
