All ambulance carriage is free in the UK Derek. Its split into two, emergency and non emergency units. Its the non emergency side we discuss here. Here you can get either a nhs ambulance or a unit provided by a private contractor to the nhs. it depends on resources available to the dispatcher at the time.
As I said they both do an admirable job, although the private companies tend to 'let the side down' much more than the nhs staff do. For instance nhs often go without meal breaks in a 12 hour shift, depending on where they are. The private companies just stop, if that means missing a pickup it doesn't matter to them, the company still gets paid whether they ship a patient between hospital and home or not.
Its also broken down further, blue light (self explanatory) urgent 30 minutes, urgent 1 hour - handled by paramedic/technician manned units. Then what is called sitter 1 and sitter 2 units, that is basically a mini bus style ambulance crewed by either 1 person if the patients are self mobile or 2 staff if the patients need aid ie on a trolley. These latter units tend to 'bulk up' in other words, transport up to 6 patients at a time. So you could board an ambulance at 7 in the morning but by the time they have driven around picking up others, you might have covered 60 miles or more and arrive at the hospital 4 or 5 hours later.
Yes, Brian is spot on again, I can add a little extra to the end...My wife (ex cancer patient..survived when they didn't think she would get past 2 years..15 years on now
) is entilted to hospital transport (what a weary pair we make eh?) had an appointment at ENT a few weeks ago, very often I take her to this one but...
so a car, a voulenteer (sp?) driver in his own car, collected her in good time and left her, she was supposed to be picked up and returned home after... the 'arranged' transport didn't turn up, so she was stranded
I got a phone call from her at six pm...distressed and very tired...she can't do long periods out of the house without suffering due to the effects of radiotherapy, it is usually worse than the surgery to remove the cancer, she still bears the scars from that surgery and it's visible with normal clothes on
sorry to be descriptive but folk need to know all this, my stepfather eventually brought her home.
So it doesn't always go to plan.
I'm at home for a short while, It seems some members think I have had my heart op, no not yet, it's our weddding anniversary tomorrow, 36 this time, I managed to order a big bunch of flowers and a hand written card, I did it online on my phone in the hospital, just in case !!!..delivered this morning, so I had my tea made for me! saved...
latest is I'm on the list, need to wait a bit as It's not a small op, more later when I'm fixed..I hope
JB>