Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential cost of establishing a patient travel fund for (a) stem cell transplant and (b) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy recipients.

There are no plans to assess the potential cost of establishing a patient travel fund for stem cell transplant and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy recipients. The Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) provide funded transport where it is considered essential to ensuring an individual’s safety, safe mobilisation, condition management or recovery.

Depending on a patient’s financial circumstances, they may be eligible for financial support with costs via the NHS Low Income Scheme and Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. This is aimed specifically at those with a low income and allows patients to claim for all or part their travel costs should they meet the eligibility criteria.