Sample policy · Patient transport

Patient assessment, fitness for transport and journey planning policy (patient transport)

Statutory anchor: Regulation 9 (person-centred care), Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2936). This policy also engages Regulation 11 (need for consent) and Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment). · primary source

1. What the regulation says

The care and treatment of service users must be appropriate, meet their needs, and reflect their preferences. (Reg 9(1): the headline duty)

carrying out, collaboratively with the relevant person, an assessment of the needs and preferences for care and treatment of the service user (Reg 9(3)(a): collaborative assessment)

This policy also engages Regulation 11 (need for consent):

Care and treatment of service users must only be provided with the consent of the relevant person. (Reg 11(1): the headline duty)

And Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment):

Care and treatment must be provided in a safe way for service users. (Reg 12(1) (the headline duty))

assessing the risks to the health and safety of service users of receiving the care or treatment, (Reg 12(2)(a) (risk assessment))

doing all that is reasonably practicable to mitigate any such risks, (Reg 12(2)(b) (risk mitigation))

The full text is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/9, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/11 and https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/12. Where this policy and the regulation diverge, the regulation wins.

2. Plain-English summary

Care and treatment must be appropriate, meet the service user's needs, and reflect their preferences. The regulation lists nine specific things you have to do to deliver person-centred care, including: assessment with the service user, designing care to meet their preferences, involving them and the people supporting them in decisions, providing information, making reasonable adjustments, and considering well-being when meeting nutritional and hydration needs.

You can only provide care or treatment with the consent of the relevant person. If the service user is 16 or over and lacks capacity, follow the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Care and treatment must also be provided in a safe way, which includes assessing the risks of the care or treatment and doing all that is reasonably practicable to mitigate those risks.

3. Purpose

This policy sets out how the Service checks patient fitness for transport, plans safe journeys and escalates when a patient's needs do not match the booked vehicle, Crew or equipment.

The policy is written for planned patient transport, including hospital-to-hospital transfer, hospital-to-home discharge, clinic transport, bariatric transport and end-of-life transport.

4. Scope

This policy applies to:

This policy does not allow the Service to accept a journey beyond its registered activity, insurance, vehicle, equipment, staffing or clinical scope.

5. Patient assessment and fitness-for-transport workflow

The Service uses a layered assessment process before and during the journey.

  1. Booking staff gather the minimum information: an incomplete request is held rather than treated as accepted.
  2. The dispatcher tests the match: patient need is compared with registration scope, crew competence, vehicle, equipment and journey conditions.
  3. Crew repeat the safety check on arrival: loading starts only if the patient and circumstances still match the accepted plan.
  4. Any mismatch triggers a pause: Crew contact the control point or Lead Clinician and do not rely on informal reassurance.
  5. The outcome is recorded: accept, amend, delay, redirect or decline the journey, with the decision-maker and rationale.

5.1 Booking assessment

The booking facility or referring clinician confirms the patient's transport need and fitness to travel.

The booking record must include:

The Service does not treat a booking request as automatic acceptance. The Operations Manager or delegated dispatcher checks that the journey matches available Crew, vehicle, equipment and route plan.

5.2 Crew on-arrival check

Crew complete an on-arrival check before loading the patient.

Crew check:

If the patient's presentation does not match the booking, Crew pause loading and contact the control point or Lead Clinician.

5.3 Capacity and consent for transport

The Service treats consent to transport as decision-specific.

Section 1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 includes this load-bearing wording: "A person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that he lacks capacity." Staff check the current legislation.gov.uk text before using this policy.

Crew support the patient to decide where possible. Support may include:

Where the patient may lack capacity for transport, Crew contact the Lead Clinician or referring clinician before transport continues unless an immediate safety issue prevents delay. The record explains the decision, advice received and least restrictive option used.

5.4 Bariatric assessment and equipment match

The Service confirms bariatric need before accepting the job.

The booking and dispatch record checks:

Crew stop and escalate if the equipment, vehicle or staffing on arrival does not match the patient's need.

6. Journey planning

The Service plans the journey before dispatch and updates the plan if the patient's needs change.

6.1 Standard journey plan

The Operations Manager or delegated dispatcher records:

The plan considers road conditions, distance, patient comfort, collection access and receiving-facility availability.

6.2 Long-distance journey plan

For long-distance transfer, the Service records additional planning.

The plan includes:

Staff do not calculate oxygen need from memory. They use current equipment instructions, local clinical guidance and the patient's documented prescription or care plan.

6.3 End-of-life transport

For end-of-life transport, the Service keeps the journey calm, dignified and aligned to the patient's plan.

The booking record checks:

Crew do not interpret DNACPR as a full care plan. They follow the transport plan, current clinical advice and their local escalation route.

7. Deterioration en route

If a patient deteriorates during transport, Crew act within role, training and scope.

Crew:

The incident review checks whether the booking information, on-arrival check, crew scope, vehicle allocation or journey plan should have identified the risk earlier.

8. Responsibilities

9. Recording requirements

For every accepted, amended or declined journey, the record must include the booking source, patient need, assessment time, assessor, crew and vehicle match, identified risks, decision, rationale and any advice or escalation. The Service also keeps the following records:

Records are kept in the Service governance records and are available for internal review, CQC review, commissioner review and external review where required.

10. Audit cadence

The Service uses the following Verivius default audit rhythm unless current CQC, MCA, commissioner, RCN or local source material requires a different rhythm:

Audit findings are recorded as improvement actions with an owner and review date.

11. Version control and review date

The Service keeps a controlled copy of this policy. The footer or document-control table records:

12. Related policies and records

Review cadence: annual or on regulatory change, whichever sooner. Owner: Registered Manager.

13. Sources and further reading

This template is based on CQC's guidance for providers and managers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and other topic-specific legislation and guidance listed below. It is a starting point for adaptation, not a substitute for legal, clinical, HR, safeguarding or specialist professional advice.

14. When to seek further advice

Seek specialist advice where the issue involves serious harm, safeguarding, deprivation of liberty, restraint, children, professional misconduct, controlled drugs, radiation, termination of pregnancy, infection outbreak, water safety, employment dismissal, DBS barring referral, or regulatory enforcement.

15. Document control

Version Date Author Changes
v1 2026-06-10 Verivius (sample) Conformed to the Verivius policy standard: added statutory anchor, verbatim regulation quotes, plain-English summary, sources and document control. Original operational sections preserved.
v1.1 2026-07-19 Verivius (sample) Made the transport acceptance workflow explicit, added decision evidence fields and linked companion policies.

This sample policy template was issued by Verivius. It is a template, not a substitute for legal advice or the provider's own policy-development process. Where this template and live law or regulator guidance diverge, the live source wins.

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Last reviewed 19 July 2026