To ask the Minister of Health to detail the criteria used by Health and Social Care Trusts to determine whether patients are eligible to receive a funded public taxi for travel to or from hospital.

Each Health and Social Care Trust has its own policies and procedures which adhere to eligibility criteria set out within the Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS). There are 3 overarching criteria used to assess eligibility for help with travel costs under the HTCS:-

In receipt of one of the qualifying benefits or allowances or meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Low Income Scheme.

In receipt of a referral for specialist care from a healthcare professional to a specialist or hospital for further NHS treatment or tests.

Appointment must be on a separate visit to when the referral was made.

The HTCS provides for re-imbursement of full travel costs only when using the cheapest form of public transport available, including any concessions or promotions. This means that patients should endeavour to use the cheapest, most appropriate means of transport to attend an appointment.

If it is not possible to use public transport or a private car and dependent on the patients’ individual circumstances, a reasonable taxi fare may be refunded on production of a valid receipt from the taxi firm.