Help with travel

Contact us on 020 7188 2888, Option 1 (7.45am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays).

You'll be asked to provide your hospital number and some medical information.

If you need assistance, a friend or relative can contact us on your behalf.

On the day before your appointment, we will contact you to:

• make sure you are attending your appointment
• confirm your address
• check we have the appropriate vehicle for you
• give you an estimated pick-up time.

Patient transport will aim to get you to the hospital 45 to 15 minutes before your appointment.

Please report to the reception desk so we know you have arrived.

We'll give you directions to your appointment or ask a porter to help you get there if you need assistance.

If an escort is booked to travel with you, escorts are expected to assist and take you to your appointment.

When you are ready to go home, go to the patient transport waiting area. 

Please report to the reception desk so we can organise transport for you. You will be looked after by our staff while you wait for your driver.

If you need transport when the waiting area is closed, please call 020 7188 7188.

Call 020 7188 2888, option 3 at any time.

At the cashier's office

When you arrive for your appointment, let the reception staff know you want to claim back transport fares. They can fill out the right form for you.

To reclaim the money, take the completed form, with proof of your travel costs to one of our cashier's offices. You will need to provide the following:

• the form authorised by the clinic
• valid travel ticket (where travel ticket is not provided, mileage will be paid)
• proof of entitlement
• you will need to keep any ticket or receipts you have as proof of the cost and present it when claiming for your reimbursement.

By post

To claim your travel costs by post, you will need to complete an HC5(T) form (PDF 35KB). The form must be authorised by NHS Business Services Authority within the 3-month period from the date of your hospital appointment. You can get the form from the cashier's office, hospital clinic or ward, or JobCentre Plus offices.

You should make sure that the form (authorised by the hospital clinic or ward) and the travel ticket are attached to postal claims. If the travel ticket is not attached, mileage will be paid.

We will not pay postal claims outside the 3-month period unless authorised as accepted outside 3 months by NHS Business Services Authority. 

You can claim back the daily charge if:

• you have a weakened immune system, need regular therapy or assessment, or need recurrent surgical treatment; and
• the member of staff caring for you has completed the appropriate claim form, confirming you are too ill, weak or disabled to travel to your appointment on public transport

You will need to pay the congestion charge for the day that you drive to your hospital appointment. At your appointment, the staff caring for you will assess whether you are eligible for reimbursement.

If you are, you will need to provide your congestion charge receipt and the registration number of the vehicle that you travelled to the appointment in.

A travel claim form will be completed and signed by your doctor, nurse or other health professional. You will then be able to claim the charge back at our cashier's offices.

Travel costs paid by contactless payment or Oyster card can be reimbursed.

You can get a list of journeys made by visiting Transport for London (TfL).

You'll need to register your contactless payment card or Oyster card on the TfL website to get a record of your travel.

NHS patients travelling within the ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ) and/or the central London congestion charge zone to and from an NHS appointment may be able to claim a reimbursement of any daily charges for that appointment.

For more information please contact the cashier's officer on 020 7188 2329 or 020 7188 2343.