The aim of the service is to provide transport for patients as identified by the patient transport teams of the authority in reasonable time and comfort without detriment to their medical condition. The authority has occasional requirements for various resources to support this aim, including PTS journeys, paramedic/technician journeys.

The geographical scope of this contract includes journeys local to the authority clinical sites, but also elsewhere across the United Kingdom. The highest proportion of journeys will be for patients who reside in BANES, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire (BGSW) and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).

The Department of Health defines Non-emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS or PTS) activity as being the non-urgent, planned transportation of patients, with a medical need for transport, to and from premises providing NHS healthcare. This encompasses a wide range of vehicle types and levels of care consistent with the patients’ medical needs (see Appendices 1 and 2). The overarching principle of PTS is that patients who are eligible for transport will receive safe, timely, comfortable and clinically appropriate transport, without detriment to their medical condition.

This service is commissioned by North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

The purpose of the PTS service is to ensure that there is an equitable and accessible service to all eligible patients based on their medical need. There are in place multiple CCG-commissioned contracts covering the bulk of these services, however the authority has a requirement for a number of private ambulance resources and additional Journeys to be undertaken to support these commissioned contracts, at any time of day or night, 24/7.

Please note that the each of the authorities may operate up to 4 of their own in-house ambulance vehicles, which may be used to carry out some part of the activity otherwise covered by this specification.