Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available for people who require transport assistance to reach out-of-hours GP services.

Out-of-hours general practitioner services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups. Patient Transport Services (PTS) for NHS services are for local determination by commissioners, based on eligibility criteria:

Eligible patients are those:

- where the medical condition of the patient is such that they require the skills or support of PTS staff on/after the journey and/or where it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery if they were to travel by other means;

- where the patient’s medical condition impacts on their mobility to such an extent that they would be unable to access healthcare and/or it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery to travel by other means; or

- recognised as a parent or guardian where children are being conveyed.