Exclusive: Scottish health board's 'eye-watering' £20k-a-month patient taxi bill revealed
11 September 2023, 07:54
A Scottish health board has been spending an "eyewatering" £20K a month taxiing patients to other parts of the country for treatment.
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Figures obtained by LBC show £140,615 was spent by NHS Borders in Scotland between January and July this year.
That worked out at £23,435 a month and almost £200 per patient - with 743 transported.
In comparison, Scotland's biggest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, spent just £4,130 overall in the same time period - 34 times less.
Bosses at NHS Borders told us their spend has risen as a result of the pandemic waiting times recovery plan.
It allows for patients to access care in other health boards if backlogs for care are lengthy in their own.
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Tess White MSP said: "Scotland's NHS is buckling under an intolerable strain due to the SNP's shambolic mismanagement during their 16 years in office.
"These staggering sums spent on shelling out for taxis to transport patients to other health boards lays bare the toll the SNP's underfunding has taken on vital frontline services.
"Patients who are already stressed enough about undergoing treatment should not have to suffer the further anxiety of having to travel between health boards.
"This eye-watering bill underlines why the Scottish Conservatives have put forward plans to deliver a modern, local and efficient NHS that will reduce spending.
"If Michael Matheson does not match these ambitious proposals he runs the risk of more and more patients being forced to travel elsewhere for healthcare."
Scottish Labour's Health and Social Care spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "NHS services are under increasing strain and the failure of the SNP to address the workforce challenges, especially in rural areas, means that the cost of transporting patients will keep increasing.
"Whilst that's money that could be spent on front line treatment, it is important to recognise that this is essential for patients in rural areas.
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"After 16 years in government, the SNP has not improved the balance of care so that more essential services can be delivered closer to home."
Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "Health boards and patients are losing out because of the SNP's continual mismanagement of our health service.
"For 15 years the nationalists have ripped away autonomy from local communities preferring instead to throw away huge sums of money on centralised bureaucracies."
An NHS Borders health spokesperson said: "There has always been a requirement for some patients to travel outwith the Borders for specialist treatments at our tertiary centres where this is part of our regional/national pathways.
"In addition, to support our patients to access elective treatment available to us in other centres as part of the waiting times recovery plan, we have seen additional spend on transport costs to enable patients to receive treatment in these areas. We offer transport to ensure that all patients are given an equal opportunity to access care elsewhere.
"We are currently looking at ways to support travelling patients in a more cost-effective way.”
LBC asked the SNP and Scottish Government to comment.
Patient taxi costs by health board
NHS AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN
£7405.91
NHS BORDERS
£140,615
NHS DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY
COULDN’T PROVIDE DATA
NHS FIFE
£2125
NHS FORTH VALLEY
DIDN’T RESPOND
NHS GRAMPIAN
£42,800.82
NHS GREATER GLASGOW AND CLYDE
£4130
NHS HIGHLAND
COULDN'T PROVIDE DATA
NHS LANARKSHIRE
COULDN'T PROVIDE DATA
NHS LOTHIAN
£29,171.65
NHS ORKNEY
0 - DON'T USE TAXIS FOR INTRA BOARD TRAVEL
NHS SHETLAND
0 - DON'T USE TAXIS FOR INTRA BOARD TRAVEL
NHS TAYSIDE
DIDN'T RESPOND TO FOI
NHS WESTERN ISLES
0 - DON’T USE TAXIS FOR INTRA BOARD TRAVEL
