Agenda item - Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPTS): Contract Award and Mobilisation

Report of the Executive Director, Governance, People & Resources (copy attached).

35.1    This item was introduced by Colin Simmons, NHS Sussex Deputy Director, Commissioning & Transformation; and by Craig Smith, EMED Group CEO.

35.2    Ms Simmons told members that the new Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPTS) contract was very different from the previous contract. Changes include:

·         A New focus on signposting people who are ineligible for NEPTS to alternative services

·         More focus on supporting people with mental health issues, including detained patients

·         Support to help providers achieve rapid discharge of patients

·         A 12 month mobilisation period for the new contract

·         There has been lots of public engagement of the new contract model

·         Healthwatch have been involved at all stages of designing the new contract

·         The new contract emphasises communication with patients and health providers before and during journeys

·         Digital is very important, but it is also important to recognise that digital solutions do not work for everyone.

35.3    Craig Smith introduced EMED:

·         EMED is one of the largest NEPTS provider in England, managing more than 1.5 million patient journeys a year

·         EMED recently won the Surrey NEPTS contract and this has now gone live. This is going well and will provide useful learning for the mobilisation of the Sussex contract

·         EMED is committed to a patient-centred approach and to using metrics that capture success in achieving this

·         Mobilisation will need to be handled carefully as the new contract is fundamentally different to what is in place currently.

35.4    Cllr Hill asked whether there were supply chain issues with procuring ambulances. Mr Smith responded that this is not anticipated to be a problem.

35.5    Geoffrey Bowden asked what percentage of the fleet was environmentally sustainable. Mr Smith responded that there will be a rolling replacement process over the 10 years of the contract with a relatively small percentage of electric vehicle at the start of the contract, but increasing over time. There is a premium to purchase electric ambulances, but this is not a simple calculation as it depends on the life of different types of vehicle.

35.6    In response to a question from Cllr O’Quinn on electronic vehicle risks, Mr Smith acknowledged that battery fire was one of a number of risks considered. However, battery longevity is the main risk. Cllr Hill noted that battery fires are more commonly associated with electric scooters, rather than with cars and vans.

35.7    The Chair asked what was being done to ensure that patients were not offered transport on vehicles making multiple picks-up and consequently taking a long time to get people to and from their appointments. Mr Simmons responded that effective journey planning relies on the provider having good data to use to plan journeys. EMED is very experienced in collecting and using this type of data.

35.8    The Chair thanked the presenters for their contribution.

35.9    RESOLVED – that the report be noted.