Trips to the hospital cost

[birkie]

Hi lovely people ❤️

Just want to put something out their I had my TT in May this year I had to travel to the hospital by train getting a taxi from my house as my train was an early one and no buses ran at that time...needed to go bk several weeks later to see my surgeon..I didn't claim for these trips I could have has I recive disability benefits..anyway I had to see an ENT specialist at the same hospital in Nov then go bk two days later taking the train each time and getting a taxi up to the hospital as the bus station was to far away(I have ME/ server fatique/Fibro/ostioathuritis and rhumertoidathrutis ) so this time I claimed,my train fare was £23 my taxi fares £20 to and from the hospital I've been informed I cannot claim for the taxi fares as their not public transport ok then..but the lady I spoke to said do you have a car? Well know I don't drive "can you catch a bus" well yes but no bus would get me their in time for my appointments "can a family member drive you" well know they can't,, I'm registered disabled on benefits I can see my hospital from where I live just across the road and I had to travel to the city for these appointments as we have no consultants at our hospital who can see me!! I'm back up in April next year it's a lot of money for me it just seems so wrong that taxis are not included as public transport it's the only way I get about...😭😭😭😭

[Cooper27]

Perhaps call the hospital and explain you need a later appointment, and also explain why. If they can't accommodate you, make a point of telling them you can't afford to attend. If they still can't accommodate a later appt, and you're feeling cheeky, ask if someone could give you a food bank referral because you'll be spending your food budget on a taxi

Have a look to see whether you can pre-book your train ticket any cheaper. I once had to go for a rush hour train to London for an appt. £100 on the day, but advance booking cost only £30.

[birkie in reply to Cooper27]

Hi thank you for your reply

I actually did ask for a later app but they could not do it till over 3 months and the consultant needed to see me sooner.. As for the bus it takes over 2 hours where as its only one hour and 5 min on the train its bad enough sitting for that time on the train.. Really bugs me when I can see my hospital from where I live.. 🤔🤔🤔

[Wetsuiter]

Have you looked into this nwas.nhs.uk/services/patien...

[birkie in reply to Wetsuiter]

Thanks wetsuiter yes I did but was not eligible as I can walk and get on a bus.. The only time I was eligible for that was when I was discharged after having my thiyroid removed 😠

[Fruitandnutcase]

What about Hospital Transport or does your local area not have community transport drivers like we have locally? They are volunteers who use their own cars and are paid mileage.

There should be no need for you to be paying full whack for taxis.

Whoops - just realised I’ve overlapped with Wetsuiter above. You definitely need to tell the hospital you are having problems getting there because you can’t afford the travel costs. Tell them and stick to your guns.

[Aurealis]

Is there a benefit you can claim for mobility these days?