The Need for Transport for Patients in General Practice - A Study at the Nuffield Health Centre, Bromley

An examination was made of the need in a group practice serving a semirural area for a transport service to carry to the main surgery, a health centre, selected patients who would otherwise have received a home visit. The possibility that such a service could bring attenders at the branch

surgery five miles distant from the health centre into the centre and so permit the closure of the branch surgery, was also considered. Data were collected over two periods of a month in 1968, on all direct contacts with patients with practice doctors and nurse. Information on public transport

services and from the 1966 sample Census was also used.

It was concluded that introducing a practice transport service to transfer selected consultations from the patients' homes to the main surgery would only save the doctors small amounts of time randomly distributed over their working week with no clearly established benefits accrueing to the patients concerned. Running such a service would not justify the cost involved. The closure of the

branch surgery and its replacement by a bus service connecting the village and the main surgery twice a week would result in considerable extra expense to the practice though it would offer village patients without private cars more frequent opportunities to attend the surgery and

a wider range of doctors to see in the surgery. It was recommended that the branch surgery should be retained and consideration given to using it more intensively.