Hospital community car scheme launched

Jane Evison of East Yorkshire Community Transport says the scheme is about "breaking down barriers"

A voluntary car scheme has been introduced to help people with mobility issues get to hospital appointments.

Organisers of Bridlington Community Lift are seeking volunteer drivers who will receive support and mileage reimbursement.

Jane Evison of East Yorkshire Community Transport said: "An awful lot of people in Bridlington are directed to Malton and York hospitals for treatment.

"We know that transport issues can be a barrier for some people to get the care they need. This initiative is about removing barriers."

Martin Wallace, 76, has missed some appointments due to transport issues

Martin Wallace, 76, from Bridlington is paralysed from the waist down and has other health conditions so needs to visit hospital regularly.

"I've got five appointments lined up at the moment, all in different departments," he said.

"Simply getting up in the morning takes an hour.

"Even when transport arrives, it will take me at least 15 minutes to get into the vehicle because I can't just jump in."

Mr Wallace said he often had to wait two hours for regular patient transport and on two recent occasions he was late for his appointments.

He said the community car scheme would make a big difference to his life.

"It would mean I wouldn't go to bed the previous night worried that it's all going to go wrong," he said.

Bridlington Hospital is managed by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust which said in the past 12 months it had recorded a total of 43,860 missed appointments across all of its sites.

Chief executive Simon Morritt said: "We welcome this initiative which aims to support patients who may face challenges accessing healthcare due to transport difficulties."

Bridlington Community Lift will compliment the existing HART community transport service and Medibus, which is delivered by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

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