NSW community transport failing elderly, disabled and rural

Thousands of elderly, disabled, and rural patients in New South Wales are missing or delaying medical appointments because of inadequate transport with 90,000 people each year turned away by community transport because of increasing demand.

The findings were in a report on the state of community transport services which provide government-subsidised trips to hospitals and other health services for non-emergency patients. It was commissioned by the Cancer Council of NSW, the Council of Social Services of NSW, and the NSW Community Transport Organisation, representing the transport providers.

The chief executive of the Cancer Council NSW, Andrew Penman, said more patients were needing transport to health services as the ageing population required more medical attention. “Patients are having trouble getting to life-saving treatment such as radiotherapy or dialysis. This is a real burden coming at a time when people are at their most vulnerable,” Dr Penman said.

The report found that one in six patients were unable to use the free transport service and one in eight rural patients missed out. The number of trips more than doubled in the past decade from 240,000 in 1996 to 680,000 last year.

The executive officer of the Community Transport Organisation, Peter McLeod, said existing programs transporting the elderly and disabled to the shops and social outings were being clogged with patients requiring trips to health services. “We desperately need the Health Department in NSW to come to the party,” Mr McLeod said.