Assisting with hospital appointments

To use the patient transport for our local hospital. You have to pay a fee to join the scheme. I was quiet surprised by this when I enquired. I was expecting to pay petrol of course but not a fee. I could be wrong but I think it was about £25 !!

Having had to attend a couple of routine,non life threatening,hospital appointments myself recently.I understand how worried you are but I found my appointments so efficient.I only passed 1 or 2 people while walking to the waiting area.No one else in the big waiting room that is normally rammed with people.I felt 100 times safer there than in a Supermarket.I wouldnt have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.

Have you considered patient transport? My mum uses this now as my dad hates driving to Addenbrookes.
I think there is a small cost involved, but at least you don't have the worry of parking.

ginny it’s nonsense porters are for in patients only, plenty of patients who struggle to walk get themselves to hospital via taxi then need porters to get them where they need to go. He should imply he’s physically unable to push her around the hospital and insist.

Thanks for your replies.

He has asked about someone to take her in but was told that porters were only for in patients. He will ask again.

He has been allowed in on previous visits as her carer.

He will obviously wear a mask and be well supplied with hand gel. I expect the odds of him picking anything up is small but it still bothers me.

Have you checked the hospital policy on visitors? Our local hospital hasn't been letting anyone but the patient through the doors. I had no choice but to drop the person I was helping at the door and let the hospital staff take it from there. Your DH might not even be allowed in.

Can you get her lifts?

DH is a volunteer hospital driver for RVS. It worries me quite a bit but he knows about infection control and is happy with the procedures in place.

It's natural to worry about nosocomial infections especially at thr moment, ginny. That's a good suggestion by tanith to try and get help from hospital porters.

If he asks at reception they can call a Porter to take her to the relevant department and if she asks the department she goes to they will arrange the return to reception.