SECAmb secures Surrey patient transport service contract

26 June 2012

As part of a joint procurement NHS Surrey and Surrey County Council have awarded a new three year contract to provide non-emergency transport for patients to South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb). This includes out of area and out of hours journeys.

The new deal will also save taxpayers more than £620,000 a year.

Geraint Davies, Director of Commercial Services at SECAmb, said:

“The new contract is fantastic news for the patients we will be serving and SECAmb. We are now looking forward to establishing the new service on 1 October as we seek to develop and enhance it in collaboration with patients and commissioners.”

Michael Gosling, Surrey County Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said:

“Value for money is at the heart of everything the council does and this new contract gives patients a better service while also managing to save taxpayers more than £620,000 a year. By finding ways of doing things more efficiently and through working as one team with other organisations, we're ensuring taxpayers’ money goes further while continuing to provide excellent services to the people of Surrey.

In addition a new booking system will make it simpler for patients to book their transport. All bookings will be taken by the Surrey County Council Call Booking Service. This will help improve the booking experience, the consistency of call handling and make it easier to monitor the service across Surrey. For NHS patients the new booking service will mean a ‘one stop shop’ for first appointments; patients who are not eligible for free transport will be helped and signposted to alternative community, local and voluntary transport services.

Ali Kalmis, Director Lead for Patient Transport Services at NHS Surrey, said: “An improved service for patients and associated cost savings will be the result of the partnership work between NHS Surrey and Surrey County Council. Full stakeholder involvement including NHS healthcare providers, patients and adult day centre clients, commercial and community transport operators throughout has helped shape the new service”.

Also as part of the procurement, multiple contracts have been awarded to private and community transport suppliers to provide transport for Surrey County Council day services and residential homes.