Struggling to get to medical appointments?
Healthwatch York and Healthwatch North Yorkshire want to hear about your experiences of travelling to medical appointments.
In April 2025, the national rules for who can get free non-emergency patient transport changed. Some people who used to qualify may no longer be able to. We want to understand what this means for local people – whether it has made it harder to get to appointments, and what alternatives people are turning to.
The main thing your local Healthwatch wants to show is that people are no longer getting the service they need, and this is directly affecting their ability to access care.
Your feedback will help Healthwatch show the impact of these changes and press for better support where it is needed.
Take the survey on patient transport
Find out more about patient transport - and if its available
What is patient transport?
Patient transport is a free NHS service for people who need help getting to hospital or medical appointments, but who are not in an emergency. In other words, not ambulances with the sirens going.
It uses vehicles that are adapted for people who need extra support, and staff who are trained to help patients travel safely. It doesn’t include ambulances.
Non-emergency patient transport is meant for people who:
- Have a medical condition that makes it hard to use public or private transport.
- Have serious mobility or memory problems.
- Need equipment or support during the journey (for example, oxygen or a wheelchair).
- Cannot travel safely without help.
In York and North Yorkshire, patient transport is run by Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Other organisations, such as charities like St John Ambulance, or private providers, may also provide journeys under NHS contracts.
What do Healthwatch mean by ‘’community stadium’’?
In the survey, Healthwatch ask about travel to different types of appointments, including at a community stadium. In York, this refers to the York Community Stadium (LNER Stadium), which is used as a site for health services such as diagnostic tests and community clinics. It is not about sporting events, but about attending healthcare appointments that are delivered at that location.
Why this matters now
There are a number of important reasons, including:
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service carries out around one million patient transport journeys every year, using over 370 specially equipped vehicles, 800 staff, and 200 volunteers. Yorkshire Ambulance Service
- Nationally, there are 11–12 million journeys each year, covering half a million miles every weekday (NHS England review)
- Nearly three-quarters of patients using patient transport are aged over 65 (NHS England final review report)
- The population of North Yorkshire (615,000) and the City of York (203,000) means more than 800,000 local people depend on reliable transport to access healthcare.
- A 2025 report on community transport in Humber and North Yorkshire warned of rising demand since NHS transport rules changed. Many schemes are under-resourced, meaning some people are already being turned away (Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership report)
“Patient transport used to help many of us get to healthcare appointments. Now, many people don’t qualify — and they’re struggling to get the care they need.”
What Healthwatch need to understand locally
Healthwatch know that transport is not just about getting from one destination to another. It is about being able to reach the care you need, when you need it. With the new rules now in place, we want to hear directly from people in York and North Yorkshire about the real-life impact.
This includes things like:
- Missed or cancelled care – Are people missing or cancelling vital medical appointments because they cannot get transport? What has this meant for their health?
- Alternatives – Are taxis, buses, community transport, or lifts from friends and family filling the gap, or are these options unreliable, unavailable, or unaffordable?
- Wider impact – How are the changes affecting people with disabilities, long-term health conditions, older people, and those on low incomes? Are some groups being hit harder than others?
- Hidden costs – Are people being forced to pay out of pocket, rely on favours, or simply go without care?
By gathering this evidence, we can show where the system is falling short and push for changes that make healthcare more accessible to everyone.
Share your views
By filling in the survey, you will help Healthwatch:
- Collect real-life stories and evidence.
- Show the impact of the changes on patients and carers.
- Share findings with local health leaders and decision-makers to push for improvements, including the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (the NHS organisation charge of planning local care and how the money is spent)
The survey is anonymous and only takes 5 to 10 minutes. Please share it with anyone in York or North Yorkshire who might be affected.
You can complete it on behalf of someone you care for or support.
What you tell Healthwatch is in confidence - and won't affect your care.
