Patient Travel

Travel Arrangements for Patient Travel:

• How will my travel be arranged:

Once you receive your hospital appointment  you will need to fill in a Patient Travel Funding Request (Form 1),  when complete email the form to ork.traveladmin@nhs.scot along with a copy of your appointment letter/text/email to confirm your appointment. Once we have verified your appointment, we can then release your travel documents.

You will also receive a claim form to reclaim any necessary expenses. Section 3 of the Highlands and Islands Claim form (see below) must be signed at your appointment to confirm your attendance, or your form may not be processed.

Requests for Funded Travel for an Escort:

If the person travelling has a clinical condition that makes an escort necessary for travel, you may be able to apply for the costs of someone travelling with you as an escort to the hospital. You will need to complete a Patient Escort Funding Request (Form 2) of the travel funding forms. If further clinical information is required, you will need to get in touch with a healthcare professional or GP Practice who will fill in Form 3 to see if you qualify.

If you require a funded escort you will need to apply for this, Travel Administration cannot do this on your behalf.

If an NHS funded escort is not authorised what are my options:

You can request the decision is reviewed by the Medical Director’s team and will be asked to provide additional information to support your request. You will need to fill in a Patient Escort Review form. 

Will all accommodation costs be reimbursed:

If funding for travel for your escort to hospital has been approved, the person escorting you must return home at the earliest opportunity, where possible undertaking the journey in one day.

Escorts who are required to accompany you as the patient to and from hospital may either return home and travel back to the hospital on your discharge or remain near the hospital where you have been admitted. Accommodation costs will only be covered up to the costs of the second return journey which would otherwise have been required.

If I want someone to accompany me but do not qualify for a funded escort what are my options:

If you want someone to travel with you and are medically fit to travel on your own and are being admitted, then your family may qualify for a Loganair Compassionate Fare. You will need to get in touch with your GP Practice to request a letter to state you will be an inpatient and then get in touch with Scapa Travel on 01856 889 040 or Loganair on 0344 800 2855 to make your booking, you can use your ADS card for this. (This scheme does not apply for outpatient appointments). Further information is available at:

https://www.loganair.co.uk/fares/for-difficult-times/

If I am not fit enough to travel by public transport or car:

If you are not able to travel by car or by public transport due to your health, please contact Scottish Ambulance Service patient travel service on 0300 123 1236.

NHS Orkney cannot provide you with a nurse or other clinical escort for travel with you to hospital.

Can my appointment be by Video Call or Telephone:

Some appointments may be available by NHS Near Me (Video Call) or by telephone. Your appointment letter will usually include an offer of a Near Me consultation when your doctor thinks this is a good option. Even if your letter does not include this It is worthwhile asking your clinic if this is possible and it can be arranged for you.

Emergency Travel:

In cases of emergency where people are transferred to Aberdeen hospitals by Air Ambulance, if sufficient time is available, relatives should ensure that patients have an adequate supply of clothing, a small amount of money for their hospital stay and photographic ID for the return journey. The luggage allowance for patients being transferred by Air Ambulance is 10kg.

At present no relatives/companions are permitted to travel with patients in an air ambulance flight, except if the patient is a child or is deemed an essential carer to the patient.

If relatives need to travel by scheduled flight, they will be responsible for their own travel costs and accommodation costs. Support for emergency travel costs may be available and can be advised by the emergency clinical team arranging patient travel.

Newborn Transfers:

Young babies are usually transferred with a dedicated retrieval team and in a transport incubator. In these cases, there is very limited space on the aircraft and neither parent will be able to travel on the air ambulance flight. Parents and siblings may qualify for the Young Person Family Fund and Young Person Family Fund claim form. 

Photo ID

All patients/escorts who travel by air on a scheduled flight must have an acceptable form of a photographic ID with them. 

Car Parking

NHS patients travelling to attend an NHS appointment will be exempt from car parking fees. For patients to qualify for the free parking they will have to present either their appointment card or letter.

• On entry to the car park patients will be issued an entry ticket
• On their return to Kirkwall Airport patients should go to the Information Desk with their entry ticket and proof of their appointment. Their entry ticket will be validated to allow them to exit the car park free of charge.

Please Note: Patients MUST present proof of their appointment to be validated. Should patients not have an appointment letter/card available then the NHS Orkney Patient Travel Voucher/Ticket which we issue to patients confirming their flight details will be acceptable. If patients are unable to provide proof of their appointment at the Information Desk, they will have to pay car parking fees which are non-reclaimable under the Highlands and Island Travel Scheme.

Information about the parking charges can be found in the HIAL Car Parking leaflet.

Young Person Family Fund:

If you are the parent/primary carer or sibling (under 18) of a child who will be an inpatient, then you could get help to cover the costs of hospital visits. Please refer to https://www.mygov.scot/young-patients-family-fund or ask the Travel Team.

Accommodation:

If you require accommodation you will need to book and pay for this yourself and reclaim. NHS Orkney have compiled a list of accommodation for Kirkwall, Aberdeen and Inverness, we do not endorse or recommend any of these businesses.  Prices are subject to change.

Documents as detailed above:

• Patient Travel Funding Request (Form 1) -  To be completed for patients travel
• Patient Escort Funding Request (Form 2 & 3) -  To be completed for escort funding
• Patient Review Form – To be completed if your escort funding was declined
• Highlands and Islands Claim Form  - To reclaim expenses while travelling to your appointment
• Patient Travel Booklet  - Information to consider before you travel
• Young Person Family Fund Information  - For children under 16 who are admitted to hospital
• Young Person Family Fund Claim Form To reclaim expenses for travelling with children under 16 who are admitted to hospital
• NHS Orkney Travel Policy For guidance

Travelling by air:

Loganair operate the inter island services within Orkney and to the Scottish mainland. There are flights available from Aberdeen Airport, Dundee Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport, Inverness Airport and Shetland Airport.

Information about the parking charges can be found in the HIAL Car Parking leaflet 

Travelling by ferry:

Orkney Ferries operate a car-ferry service between the Orkney Mainland and the Isles.

Northlink Ferries operate a car-ferry service from Stromness to Scrabster in the north of Scotland and also between Kirkwall to Aberdeen and Kirkwall to Shetland.

Pentland Ferries operate a car-ferry service from St. Margaret’s Hope in South Ronaldsay which operates daily returns journeys between St Margaret’s Hope and Gills Bay.

Travelling by road:

Using public transport is available through Stagecoach and Scottish Citylink. Or if you are driving plan your route by AA route Planner .

Read or download useful documents