GP 'taxi service' could be cancelled because patients do not use it

A GP practice has set up a ‘taxi service’ for patients to reach the surgery – but this may be cancelled after no one used it in its first month.

Hadleigh Health Centre took the step of funding the taxi service following the closure of one of its branches in the village of Boxford in Suffolk.

The practice received approval from local ICB to close the ‘run down‘ branch at the end of June due to safety concerns and because the investment required for improvements made ‘its continued use unviable’.

Local private hire driver David Willis was commissioned by Hadleigh Health Centre to provide the taxi service, starting in July to coincide with the Boxford branch closure.

In a statement, Hadleigh Health Centre said: ‘Transport was a particular issue of concern raised during the engagement exercise last autumn.

‘Our Charitable Trust has agreed a funding allowance for journeys to Hadleigh for patients who had previously walked to the surgery and have no other options available to them.’

However, despite concerns from patients over accessing the Hadleigh surgery, Mr Willis said no one had used the service in its first month.

Mr Willis told Pulse the door-to-door service, which runs two mornings a week, is free for patients, and that he would wait for them during their appointment.

He said: ‘I was expecting to be fairly busy and assumed that many of the patients would be glad of this service, however it’s now August and I’ve had four phone calls and not one single person has used the service. If the service is not used, it will be lost.’

South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge said that GP teams at Hadleigh and Boxford ‘worked hard’ to secure free transport for patients to attend appointments, and warned that it is at risk of being stopped if take-up is too low.

He said: ‘The closure of the Boxford GP surgery caused considerable concern in the village, with transport for patients being one of my top priorities.

‘Unfortunately, the taxi was not used in July and is at risk of being stopped if take-up is too low – so this really is a case of “use it or lose it”.’

Earlier this year, a GP practice in Kent decided to introduce car parking charges for its patients to ensure it remains viable.