Read the Report
The Final Report for this study is now available. Please download it by clicking on the link below.
Review of Patient Transport Works Project
A summary of the findings of the focus group with patients is also available.
About our work
The Patient Transport Works Project in Greater Easterhouse sought to deliver a patient focused and community based transport service for cancer patients. The service has been developed by a partnership group involving the Scottish Ambulance Service, Greater Easterhouse Development Company, NHS Greater Glasgow Health Promotion and the Beatson Oncology Centre. Cars with trained drivers transport patients to and from the Beatson Oncology Centre for their treatment.
The three main aims of this research was to:
- assess the extent to which the inital pilot project has realised it s main impacts for patients over the initial period of the project
- identify areas of service improvement to ensure that the patient transport service achieves the maximum benefits for cancer patients
- outline recommendations to inform the development of an effective patient transport service to meet the needs of individuals requiring to access treatment sites in Glasgow, with an initial focus on cancer services
An evaluation of transport for patients with cancer in Glasgow was carried out between November 2004 and March 2005 by a team of researchers at the Cancer Care Research Centre and Derek Halden Company. A key component of the evaluation was listening to the views of patients.
Thirteen patients with cancer and one carer talked about their experiences of using NHS transport. There were three types of transport available free of charge and co-ordinated by the Scottish Ambulance Service for cancer patients in Glasgow:
- The Patient Transport Works (PTW) project used a fleet of seven vehicles and specially trained drivers.
- The Scottish Ambulance Service mini-buses that accommodated up to a dozen passengers including patients not affected by cancer.
- The volunteer cars exclusive to cancer patients that were operated by volunteers using their own cars who claimed expenses from the Ambulance Service.
Funding Organisation
This work was commissioned by Greater Easterhouse Development Company (GEDC).