Dialysis patient transport
Kidney dialysis
We offer free transport for patients with a medical need and who have no other means of travelling to the dialysis centre for their regular dialysis treatment.
We'll assess your needs. If you qualify, we'll book you transport for the days of your dialysis appointments.
Transport times
Being collected from where you live
Please be ready 2 hours before your appointment time. We'll aim to get you to the dialysis centre no earlier than 45 minutes before your appointment time.
Leaving the dialysis centre
We aim to collect you from the dialysis centre 30 minutes to an hour after you've finished dialysis. This allows the nurse to make sure you’re recovered and ready to travel.
We know some people feel able to make their way to the dialysis centre but may not feel well enough to travel home alone after treatment. If you'd like transport for the return journey only, we can arrange this.
If you need to attend a non-dialysis appointment, you'll need to contact the transport department to book this journey.
Travelling with a friend or relative
You can only travel with someone else if you have special care needs. This is so we can save space for other patients. If you feel you have additional care needs, please contact us.
What you can expect from us:
- the vehicle will be clean, safe, smoke-free and appropriate for your mobility needs
- drivers and other staff will be polite and helpful and will maintain your dignity
- our aim is for you to have the same driver and travel the same route for all of your dialysis transport journeys. Sometimes it may vary
- drivers will make sure you're properly secured into the vehicle with seatbelts or wheelchair restraints. They'll assist you in and out of the vehicle and escort you into the dialysis centre, and/or where you live
- if you feel unwell during the journey, please tell your driver immediately so they can assist you. All our drivers are trained in first aid
- we aim to provide an efficient, prompt service and will aim to tell you about any delays
What we expect from you:
- to be ready at the allocated time for pick up
- to let us know if you’ve made alternative travel arrangements
- to be polite to drivers, fellow passengers and other staff
If you don’t qualify for patient transport
If you aren't satisfied with the assessment, you can request a second review.
Phone: 020 7188 7188, extension 52565
If this response doesn't satisfy you either, you can ask your GP for a letter stating why you should qualify for patient transport. This letter should be on the surgery's headed paper and sent to the patient transport service assessment team. We'll contact you when we receive this.
Address: Patient transport service, College House, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH
