A single bidder has been chosen to provide all non-emergency patient transport in Wiltshire. The five year contract is now being negotiated and name of the new provider should be announced by the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group before the end of the month.
This centralised service will replace the current arrangements which are provided by a number of private and NHS transport services whose staff will be offered appropriate transfers of employment.
The new service for patients who have a medical need for transport to and from treatment centres will cover not just Wiltshire but also Bath and North East Somerset, Gloucestershire and Swindon. It will have a single telephone number.
The contract will allow for some sub-contracting which should ensure that the local knowledge and expertise of a number of community transport providers will be retained.