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Health Secretary praises patients travel plan
September, 2009
An innovative scheme to help patients plan their journeys to hospital appointments has been welcomed by the Health Secretary.
Nicola Sturgeon MSP helped launch the Personalised Journey Plan initiative at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow recently.
The project, which was devised and funded by SPT to the tune of £37,000, will see patients issued with instructions on how to get from their home to hospital by public transport and/or walking.
Traveline Scotland provided invaluable journey planning expertise to get the scheme off the ground. Work to create and issue the journey plans is now being carried out by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff at Gartnavel Hospital.
Ms Sturgeon told SPT Express: “Very often the barrier to using public transport is just not being sure what goes where.
“When patients are going to hospital, they don’t want to be worrying about how to get there because clearly going to hospital is a stressful enough experience in itself. Anything we can do to make the journeys more convenient for them, the better.”
She added: “Health boards right across the country want to make hospital appointments as easy for patients as possible, and this is one way of doing it. I’m sure other health boards will be looking very closely at what’s happening in Glasgow.”
Ms Sturgeon also praised the partnership working that had delivered the travel plans.
“I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that NHSGGC couldn’t have done this on its own. Increasingly people want to see different parts of the public sector working together for the interests of the people who use those services and this is a good example of that.”
SPT Chairman Alistair Watson echoed the Minister’s views. He said: “This really is partnership working at its best, to the benefit of everyone.”
He added: “The Personalised Journey Plans also encourage a move away from private car use and by providing detailed information they allow people to make more informed choices when travelling to appointments.”
Andrew Robertson, chair of NHSGGC, outlined the benefits of the scheme.
He said: “This initiative will lead to real benefits for our patients by providing individual ‘door to door’ public transport information in an easy to read format.
“It will reduce reliance on taxis and the time and effort taken to get to hospital. This project also forms part of a wider approach to improving information on transport to our hospitals and health centres.”