Hospital Appointment help

[CowKeeper]

My dad needs to go for a weekly hospital appointment. He can't walk far so uses a wheelchair. He can't get hospital transport. We can organise a wheelchair taxi but when he gets there my mum can't push him to the clinic he needs to get to.

Should there be help available at the hospital for this? Who would I contact?

Any help would be appreciated as I am taking my first steps into this new world.

Contact PALS at the hospital.
Why can’t he get patient transport?

My area has volunteers who drive people to hospital appointments, ask on a local Facebook page?

A hospital Porter can push him to the location of the appointment, however they will need to get there earlier as they will probably have to wait for a porter to become available, depending on the demand this could be a while. The porter cannot do any lifting into the chair and their time cannot be pre booked.

He can't get transport because he is deemed to be mobile. We have tried but have been turned down.

Thank you. How would we get hold of a porter? If a taxi leaves him at the door mum can't push him in to look for someone.

I would contact PALS at the hospital. I work in a hospital, you won't get hold of a porter yourself. It just doesn't work like that.

How has this decision been made and by whom?
If he needs a wheel chair, surely his consultant could document that fact. Honestly I despair of the NHS sometimes.
When I was working I frequently came across people writing policies and making clinical decisions who had absolutely no relevant qualifications, but once investigations were made things could be changed.

@endofthelinefinally Thank you. I will check where the decision comes from.

I would check with PALS about the volunteer service at the hospital - at the two hospitals I go to on a regular basis they are inundated with volunteers with wheelchairs - I know as I am on crutches and most volunteers at the hospital entrance want to get me in a wheelchair to push me to the appointment. Hopefully PALS can make sure a volunteer is on standby.

Also, my local area has a volunteer service offering transport to hospital appointments

good luck

Does he need to actually go for the appointment or can it be done at home? Sometimes a hospital at home team can do lots of things?

The hospital I go to fairly regularly has lots of lurking volunteers looking for someone to assist 😆.

Whether they’re actually allowed to push a patient in a wheelchair though I don’t know, but I’m sure they’d know how to bleep a porter if not.

I would also ask the question to PALs. They might say another family member other than mum is expected to help (that’s the answer I got to a similar query once).

Thank you very much for all the advice. As I mentioned we are just starting on this journey and trying to work out how best to do things. I live over an hour away and do what I can around working but we need to get some plans in place so there is back up.

I will get on to PALS today and the local FB page plus ask some questions.

Having been there... your Mum goes into reception and asks them to call a porter, she either waits in reception or with the taxi. Porter will come - may take 5-10 minutes and will then push Dad to his appointment. Rather than paying the taxi to wait, a lot of taxi drivers would be helpful at this point and push him into reception so they can leave (rather than charge waiting time).

Who is pushing him into the taxi if your Mum can't push the wheelchair?

Your DM goes to hospital reception

Requests a porter to push wheelchair to DF appointment

Attend appointment

Ask the hospital department to request a porter to take DF to taxi

Or

Request a local volunteer to take DF all day to hospital

My dad had this issue, and used a volunteer car service which was perfect. The driver picked him up from home, drove there, at the hospital door would get him and the wheelchair out, take him to his appointment, then do the whole thing in reverse. I think he paid 40p a mile

@CowKeeper when speaking to hospital transport you explain that he cannot get himself to the appointment and doesn't have anyone locally who can take him, travel with him or support him to get to the appointment. If your mum is unable to push him then that is the truth. You need to evidence that other ways of getting there are not possible or safe.

When my sisters tried to organise transport for my dad it was refused because they simply said they couldn't take him. When I rang, I explained his medical situation (listed everything) , explained he couldn't safely get a taxi and once at hospital couldn't go from taxi to the department by himself. It was agreed. I explained I wasn't available as don't live locally

My mum recently had to take my step dad into hospital and couldn’t push him so the main reception organised a porter to come and collect him. PALS at our hospital is literally opposite the main reception as well which is useful!