Somerset Patient Transport Information for Healthcare Professionals

In order to provide a better service to patients and increase efficiencies, the patient transport service has been split between planned and unplanned transport.

EMED Patient Care will provide planned non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS) across Somerset. ERS Medical will provide unplanned patient transport services across Somerset.

The commissioning organisation for this service is Somerset ICB.

EMED Patient Care will provide the planned patient transport service. EMED Patient Care is a division of EMED Group, one of the UK’s leading health and social care transport providers. As a trusted partner to the NHS and Local Authorities across over 70 contracts, EMED Group delivers over 1.5 million patient journeys every year.

ERS Medical, will provide the unplanned patient transport service. In 2023, following a merger, ERS Medical became part of EMED Group.

The service will be delivered from the following locations:

Yeovil
Wynford House
Lufton Way, Lufton
Yeovil
BA22 8HR

Wellington
Unit 19 and 20
Chelston Business Park
Knights Road
TA21 9JH

Evercreech
Unit 8, Evercreech Junction
Evercreech
BA4 6NA

The transport service will run Monday to Sunday (7 days) between the hours of 06:00 in the morning to 12 midnight, 365 days of the year, including all statutory and discretionary Bank and Public Holidays.

Access to NEPTS for planned services is through the Patient Transport Advice Centre (Tel no. 01278 727444) unless the booking is urgent and on the day, in which case the authorised booker will need to book directly with EMED.

For the unplanned services, healthcare professionals within the hospitals will book transport on behalf of patients through our online booking portal.

Patients who are registered with a GP in Somerset, providing they meet the eligibility criteria as outlined by NHS England.

In short, a patient may be eligible for non-emergency patient transport if:

• They have a medical need for transport.
• They have a cognitive or sensory impairment requiring the oversight of a member of specialist or non-specialist patient transport staff or a suitably trained driver.
• They have a significant mobility need that means they are unable to make their own way with relatives/friends and/or escorts/carers, whether by private transport, public transport or a taxi.
• They are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis, in which case specialist transport, non-specialist transport or upfront/reimbursement costs for private travel will be made available.
• A safeguarding concern has been raised by any relevant professional involved in a patient’s life, in relation to the patient travelling independently.
• They have wider mobility or medical needs that have resulted in treatment or discharge being missed or severely delayed.

For more information about patient eligibility, please review the guidelines provided by NHS England.

If you would like more information about this service, you can call the Patient Transport Advice Centre using the number at the top of this page.