Getting MIL to appointments

Gp don't organise patient transport - there's usually a number for the patient (or their carer/family) to call to arrange it

Discharge letters from the hospital often ask for bloods to be checked and medication to review…. But they never facilitate transport. Not the GPs job and I doubt they are obligated contractually.

What about hospital transport? It's available to get people to appointments who can't get themselves there such as elderly or disabled

they are the referral source

It is best that she is in hospital (although I'm very sorry about the deterioration)

Biggest thing now is to be clear of what you are willing to offer and the boundaries you are happy with as there maybe pressure on you to accept more than you are willing to do.

The main difficulty, in a way, is that she nominally "has capacity", but in reality is a bit fried?
That's tricky. If you can - if someone can - get the carers to
a) find out when the appointments are and then
b) take her ...
At a price, obviously. That can help.
Is she self funding or ...?

(I have a friend who says she'll organise her own appointments, but quite often she doesn't. She forgets, or gets confused. The upside (!) of her no longer being able to read the appointment letters herself, and having carers with her a lot of the time, is that they CAN read the letters and ensure transport etc is somehow sorted.)

Hospital transport
Her local fb page for voluntary groups that do hospital driving
Maybe ask on her local FB page for a PA (not carer if mil has issues with that term) for admin/meds and medical visits?

Some great suggestions here. You could also see if there is a Good Neighbour organisation in the area.

Where I am the transport options vary wildly in terms of town and diagnosis; a public/charity run service in one town may not be available a couple of miles away.

I'd do some internet searching using both your MIL's local authority area and town.

If there's a local community organisation that has a directory of volunteer and community run services they'll be able to help signpost.
The council may also have a similar list.
Speak to the GP's surgery and ask if they can direct you.
The agency that provides her carers may be able to provide a paid for service or direct you.

My DF's carers were really helpful in terms of helping him get ready for trips out.

Realistically there may be a fairly limited time span of the time period with getting multiple carer visits and hospital visits and assistance with transport etc and needing to move into a home or assisted living, so it also would be worth looking at options here too.

Working out how to pay is one of the worries of those who are having cognitive issues.

There are often local voluntary driver services who can accompany to appointments. The council should have a list of such support services on its website or try local branch of Age UK.

But the issue doesn't appear to be money related

She isn't very coherent at the moment, won't get a taxi on her own

Hospital transport won't solve either of these issues.

Hospital transport doesn’t have to be paid so no worry about having the right cash and how much to tip.

Em, if secondary care arranged the appointment why would it be up to primary care to act as concierge! That’s not how it works.

Even if she gets there and back from the hospital sounds like the appointments will be pretty pointless as she won’t remember anything from them and may not be able to convey a relevant history. She needs someone with her.

I think you need to have a carer type person take her. She probably would be eligible for hospital transport but, that's not going to work if she doesn't know what day it is and takes hours to get ready anyway. That's when you need someone going in to get her ready and take her etc.

Carer who drives is good as they'll take her in, find the clinic etc. But obviously it depends on them being available when the appointment is, so you'd likely need a few people to call.

Hospital transport also definitely an option, but as above it can be a very long day as they pick up & drop off en route. Not sure how much support they provide getting in & finding appointments (dad's issue is sight loss, so he would go and ask at reception for assistance, very different to someone with dementia).

But if you don't know when the appointments are, and MiL doesn't have capacity to cope with arrangements, it's going to be much more tricky - would the carers photo appointment letters & message you with info? Would MiL be capable of being ready & waiting for a hospital transport pick-up?

Google name of hospital and patient transport and it should send you to the webpage with details of how to arrange it and costs. I had to do this for a further away trip to a specialist hospital in a different county. There was a per mile cost but I think it would have been less than a taxi (and definitely less than cost of my petrol to her house then to hospital using my annual leave!).

If she has to be accompanied then that needs a carer agency but if you can get a carer who drives who can take her then that covers it.

Round here they are. My DH does hospital transport - the only official transport is for those that are seriously medically unwell (ambulance transport) he gets expenses but isn't paid

And they are not volunteers!!

The gp can request hospital transport, you have to then book it

drivingmissdaisy.co.uk/

There is a service called Driving Miss Daisy that specialises in this.

My dad used volunteer drivers from a local organisation - the only problem was that they don't take you in so if she has dementia then you would need an escort. Some care agencies can do this, or she'd need hospital transport - but it would be better if someone was with her to take notes and make sure that things happen that are supposed to