Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) Engagement Transformation and Procurement

NEPTS provides NHS-funded transport for eligible people taking them from their home to a care provider (and back again) for planned appointments and treatment.

This service is available for patients who:

  • have a condition such that they need additional medical support during their journey
  • find it difficult to walk
  • are the parent, guardian, or child, of patients who need transport and who are not able to travel safely without them present
  • The majority of NEPTS in Surrey Heartlands is provided by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS). The Surrey Downs area is locally commissioned and provided by Epsom & St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Future Services

The Surrey NEPTS contract was due to end in March 2023; it has been extended until the end of March 2024 to allow procurement of a new NEPTS to take place.

In August 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I) published its review of non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS).  Nationally, NEPTS provide over 11 million patient journeys each year, covering around half a million miles each weekday.

The review worked extensively with patient groups including Age UK, Healthwatch England and Kidney Care UK to ensure the needs of patients were at the forefront of proposals. It also engaged widely with transport and healthcare providers, commissioners and other stakeholders.  The review report sets out a new national framework for non-emergency patient transport services to support them in becoming consistently responsive, fair and sustainable.  Core standards and a new service specification were published by NHS England and NHS Improvement in December 2022.

In light of the need to consider all options for future services locally, ahead of the procurement process, NHS Surrey Heartlands commenced the first stage of an engagement process in November 2020 and also contributed to national review discussions with NHSE/I.

From July 2022, Surrey Heartlands and partner organisations became an Integrated Care System (ICS), coming together to shape and design services for those who use NEPTS transport.  This includes families of users, carers and colleagues who book and manage services to ensure our Surrey offer meets the growing and changing demands placed upon it.

Bringing ICS stakeholders together to design NEPTS services enabled us to:

  • realise a shared vision and commitment to providing a patient centred service that holistically addresses the NEPTS needs of Surrey citizens
  • review what works and challenge the design of current services to identify where they can be improved and transformed now and in the future under new contract terms
  • build upon the national service specification to design the optimal localised service model for Surrey citizens which equally fulfils the requirements of ICS providers booking and managing transport provision

Breadth of the NEPTS Portfolio

There are aspects of NEPT services you may not traditionally recognise. Our approach encompassed development of the four components below:

  1. Co-ordination and triage – assessment of eligibility, brokering and managing journeys, and signposting people to independent transport.
  2. Specialist transport services – for those who need adapted vehicles or support from staff with particular training during their journey.
  3. Non-specialist services such as private hire/taxis and community transport
  4. Reimbursement of travel costs – to allow patients or their families to cover the costs of private transport and, in addition, for those on a low income or meeting other criteria entitled to reimbursement through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.

We know that patient transport is an essential service for many people; it can directly impact the quality of users’ lives and those who care for them.  In addition, a smooth running, reliable and robust NEPT service beneficially impacts the productivity of professionals and the clinical services they run.

By designing a service appropriately, accommodating the needs of all ICS members we anticipate being able to specify an integrated, cost-effective, agile, and proficient NEPTS offer.

Man and Woman Collaborating in a Meeting

Summary of activity undertaken to July 2022

  • Five Round Table patient engagement events completed
  • PTS Staff (booking and referrals) survey completed
  • Developed and launched a smart survey for users and their carers
  • Web page available with all documents/notes from engagement sessions
  • Social media campaign launched to promote uptake of user survey
  • Five workshops undertaken with staff from health and care organisations across Surrey
  • Ongoing development of engagement content following feedback to inform development of local service model
  • Contributions to national PTS discussions via NACN and engagement with NHS England/Improvement
  • Discussions with bordering CCGs about opportunities for a strategic approach and possible partnership working

Transformation programme

A report and accompanying slide presentation detailing the Programme objectives and outcomes are available below.

Surrey NEPTS Transformation Programme Outcome Report [docx] 199KB

Previous documentation including Project Initiation Documents and Transformation Programme Monthly Progress Reports are also shown below.

Taking into account the information we heard from service users, we tested hypotheses and ideas for different approaches across the Surrey healthcare system. We sought opinion and tracked results to provide intelligence to support decisions regards appropriate vehicles, flexible and inflexible user types, privacy requirements, optimal wait times for users and clinical staff etc.  Where appropriate, information gathered has provided evidence for in-contract permissible adjustments for improved experiences.  Where this has not been feasible learning has been incorporated into the service specification for the newly let service planned from April 2024.

Commissioners alone considered the new service model, contracting profile and procurement approach.

Project Initiation Documents

Monthly progress reports

Surrey NEPTS Specialist Community Workstream Monthly Status Report August 2022 [pdf] 254KB

Surrey NEPTS Specialist Community Workstream Monthly Status Report July 2022 [pdf] 255KB

Surrey NEPTS Specialist Community Workstream Monthly Status Report June 2022 [pdf] 216KB

Surrey NEPTS Specialist Community Workstream Monthly Status Report May 2022 [pdf] 210KB

Surrey NEPTS Eligibility Criteria Booking Reimbursement Monthly Status Report August 2022 [pdf] 249KB

Surrey NEPTS Eligibility Criteria Booking Reimbursement Monthly Status Report July 2022 [pdf] 246KB

Surrey NEPTS Eligibility Criteria Booking Reimbursement Monthly Status Report June 2022 [pdf] 214KB