Provision of Non Ambulatory Patient Transport

Description

NHS Lothian requires a contract to provide additional capacity on Non Ambulatory Patient Transport. This will ensure patients encounter no delay when leaving an acute hospital setting and ensure timely patient flow through the hospitals. One dedicated vehicle is required from 18th December 2023 - 31st March 2024. Patient transport within NHS Lothian is provisioned via the Scottish Ambulance Service but there are occasions where capacity is maximized. On these occasions NHS Lothian may require additional patient transport, examples of which are noted below: - Non-ambulatory patients who require to be conveyed on a stretcher - Non-ambulatory patients who require to be conveyed on a trolley/stretcher, chair or stair climbers. - Some patients can be ambulant but require assistance walking to and from their homes and hospital/treatment centres. This can be for situations where: - A patient needs to be transferred home or to a homely setting, including care home - A patient requires transferred from an acute hospital to a local community hospital - A patient requires an acute inter-hospital transfer in Lothian - A patient requires a transfer from an acute hospital in Lothian to another acute hospital out with Lothian and then potentially returned Services that are out of scope of this requirement are ambulant patient transport for which NHS Lothian has existing arrangements. NHS Lothian require one dedicated vehicle to be available 7 days a week during the hours of 12pm – 8pm. Conveyances are mainly within the geographical boundaries of NHS Lothian with a small proportion of our out of area journeys to hospitals outwith but normally to neighbouring Health Board areas including Fife, Borders, Forth Valley and Lanarkshire. The intention is to award the contract to a sole supplier for the term of the contract which will run from 18th December 2023 - 31st March 2024.