Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations to assist disabled people with transportation to medical appointments.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people.

We know there is also geographical variation in waiting times. It is important that patients, including disabled patients, do not miss or cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of affordable and/or accessible transport options in their area. This is why the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to reviewing, developing and increasing the uptake of existing national health inequalities improvement initiatives. Specifically, the plan committed to reviewing local patient transport services and improving the signposting to, and the accessibility of, them for patients, to make it easier for vulnerable groups to travel to and access appointments.

NHS England are funding and co-ordinating a range of patient transport projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.

NHS England work with individual NHS organisations, local authorities, transport providers and other stakeholders to continually pilot, review, refine and propagate approaches to improving the choice, affordability, and accessibility of transport options for NHS patients.

A non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) provides funded transport where a medical condition means a patient cannot safely travel to receive their treatment independently. Transport may be provided by the ambulance service, independent providers, the voluntary sector and volunteers.