You are here:
Home >
News >
News Archive
APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEER PATIENT TRANSPORT
DRIVERS
Wednesday 13th July 2011 – 11.30am – Suzie
Fothergill
The Trust’s Patient Transport Service (PTS) is
an integral part of West Midlands Ambulance Service and plays a
vital role in ensuring that patients from all over the region get
to their non-urgent hospital appointments each year.
Alongside PTS crews that are employed by West
Midland Ambulance Service, the Trust also utilises the help of
volunteer car drivers.
West Midlands Ambulance Service is currently
appealing to anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer car
driver to help transport patients from rural areas such as
Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire to
their appointments at local renal dialysis centres or to hospital
appointments further afield at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in
Birmingham. The Trust completes over 200,000 journeys a year on
behalf of the hospital.
At present the Trust has almost 100 volunteer
car drivers who come from all walks of life and help to convey a
wide range of patients to physiotherapy, renal and general
outpatient appointments to a number of hospitals throughout the
region.
Peter Goodings, a retired prison officer from
Ross on Wye, has been working as a volunteer car driver for three
years. Talking about his role Peter said: “I first became a
volunteer when a friend of mine, who is a paramedic, suggested that
it might be something I would be interested in doing.
“I volunteer to help generally from Monday to
Friday but I do help on the occasional Saturday where I can. I
thoroughly enjoy the work and get to meet many different people
each day.
“There are two types of transportations that I
carry out; usually the first jobs of the day are the regular renal
dialysis patients who I will see very other day and then on to
clinic patients. These patients vary from day to day but over time
you do get to see familiar faces. Journeys with these patients are
often slightly further afield, and I can get asked to collect
patients from as far as the Welsh border and down to Cirencester
but it’s all part of the job and I really enjoy it.”
Elaine Lewis, PTS Area Manager said:
“Volunteer car drivers are extremely helpful to the service. There
are no set hours and volunteers can do as much or as little as they
wish, enabling them to fit their volunteering around their own
lifestyle.
"I look forward to hearing from anyone wishing
to become a volunteer, however, due to the nature of the work, it
is essential that applicants have a high standard of cleanliness
and dress, patience and consideration of patients.”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer
car driver you must:
- Hold a clean driving licence
- Own a four door car in good mechanical condition, with
good exterior bodywork. (You must be able to produce
all vehicle documentation e.g. MOT, insurance etc)
- All applicants must be prepared to have a Criminal Records
Bureau check
- Applicants are required to be medically and physically fit and
to have a mature and caring attitude.
The Trust pays a set mileage rate to cover
fuel costs as well as other out-of-pocket expenses e.g. cost of
parking, cost of work phone calls etc.
For more information please contact Elaine
Lewis via elaine.lewis@wmas.nhs.uk or
via 0121 415 3787
Ends