EMED Group to provide non-emergency patient transport in Somerset

This is a patient transport service for non-urgent, planned journeys

NHS Somerset has successfully concluded a procurement exercise, awarding a 5-year contract to EMED Patient Care for the non-emergency patient transport service that went live on 1 October 2023.

This new, non-emergency patient transport service is tailored to individuals with higher-level mobility requirements who need help with transport to get to their hospital appointments. Eligibility criteria apply, and patients must be registered with a Somerset GP.

Primarily serving outpatient appointments, admissions, day case attendances, and renal dialysis treatments across various care settings, EMED anticipates over 21,000 patient journeys annually.

Operating hours will mirror the previous contract, providing service from 06:00 to midnight, seven days a week, including bank holidays. The booking process remains unchanged. Patients or carers can contact the Patient Transport Advice Centre on 01278 727444 between 08:30 and 18:30.

Craig Smith, CEO of EMED Group, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting NHS Somerset with this new service, where planned and unplanned journeys are separated to create a better patient experience and smoother patient flows through the discharge and care pathways.”

The non-emergency patient transport service went live on 1 October 2023 and is delivered by EMED Patient care from their main bases near Taunton and Shepton Mallet engaging 69 crew members and 22 ambulances.

Notes to editors:

1. NHS Somerset NHS Somerset is responsible for commissioning health and care services for our 580,000 residents. We play a pivotal role in bringing organisations together to work as one integrated care system (ICS), for Somerset. An ICS is a partnership between the NHS, local council, voluntary services and other organisations working together to plan and deliver joined up services to improve the lives of people in our area.
2. EMED Patient care (part of the EMED Group) is providing the “Planned” NEPTS service. They are a trusted partner to the NHS and Local Authorities across 72 contracts. As a group, EMED delivers 1.4 million patient journeys per annum and have 2,500 Healthcare professional frontline staff. They run a fleet of 1,100 Specialist ambulances across 52 operational depots. EMED are CQC registered with 6 ‘Good’ rated inspections in 22/23
3. Picture captions, as labeled
4. Press contacts For EMED Group media inquiries please contact info@emedgroup.co.uk. For NHS Somerset media enquiries please contact NHS Somerset Communications team email:  somicb.communications@nhs.net