AMBULANCE chiefs have pledged to improve a transport service for non-urgent patients after several problems were reported during a ‘bedding in’ period.

Provisional data showed Lancashire patients trying to book transport with North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) were left waiting for an average of five minutes in April, against a target of one minute.

Meanwhile, just 74 per cent of patients arrived within 30 minutes of their scheduled appointment time, against a target of 90 per cent. Targets on travel times and timeliness of departure were also missed.

The Patient Transport Service (PTS) is for patients who are unable to get to or from a hospital appointment by themselves, or may need transferring between different sites.

Recent NWAS board papers said there were ‘difficulties experienced’ at the PTS call centre, but the initial problems were overcome after managers drafted in more staff.

The papers said the call volumes have since ‘reduced significantly’ and further work is being done to establish the correct staffing levels going forward.

NWAS recently signed a new three-year contract to provide the service in Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside, but lost the contract to provide the service in Greater Manchester, which is now run by Arriva.

Kelly Jackson, head of the Patient Transport Service, said: “The new PTS contract came into effect on 1 April 2013, and has additional and higher targets to meet to improve the service we deliver to patients.

“There has been a bedding in period to establish the delivery of the new contract, and the early challenges faced have now been resolved. The Trust is confident that performance is improving and in on track to meet the quality standards set.”