PRIVATELY operated ambulances will in future take patients from Ludlow and south Shropshire to non-emergency medical appointments.

Medical Services Ltd has been appointed to provide the service to non-emergency patients from November.

They will take eligible patients attending appointments at the main hospitals and other NHS healthcare providers across Shropshire and surrounding areas. The service will use ambulances and a range of other vehicles.

The non-emergency transport service currently involves around 140,000 patient journeys per year. Transport and staff will be used appropriate to the needs of individual patients – ranging from those who are fully mobile and do not need support to those that need intensive help and support.

The Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group says the appointment of Medical Services follows a robust re-tendering process involving members of Shropshire Patients Group.

“Medical Services are a long-established provider of non-emergency patient transport services nationally and have an excellent record,” said Dr Julie Davies, director of strategy and service design at the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

“Patients should notice very little difference in the service they receive, apart from a slight change to the livery of the ambulances. They can be assured that we will monitor performance extremely closely.”

As well as hospitals, the service will also transport patients to and from appointments at community locations including primary care centres, community clinics, GP Practices, dental practices, optometrist practices, private and independent providers, nursing and residential homes.

The contract has absolutely no impact on 999 emergency ambulances which will continue to be run by West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WMAS).