AN investigation has revealed how much money the NHS has spent on private ambulances and taxis in Warrington.
A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Warrington Guardian highlighted how much was spent between 2019 and 2023 by the NHS in Warrington on taxis and ambulances that are privately operated.
Between 2019 and 2023, according to figures released by the NHS to the Warrington Guardian, a total of £69,467.22 was spent on private taxis and ambulances.
Please remember, if you have called us and no longer need an ambulance or have made your own way to the hospital, that is OK but please do call us back on 999 to cancel. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/DGM0eKAbZp
— North West Ambulance Service (@NWAmbulance) February 27, 2023
Unsurprisingly, the year with the most money spent on private services was 2020/21, when the country was in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There was a total of £66,673 spent on taxis and private ambulances by the NHS in Warrington in 2020/21.
The bulk of this was spent on private ambulances, which totalled £52,360 - the equivalent of £4,363 per month, or more than £1,000 per week in 2020.
Taxi fares made up the remaining £14,313 spent by the NHS in the town for that year.
When contacted by the Warrington Guardian, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside confirmed that money spent during 2020/21 and 2021/22 was a 'Covid-funded cost,' which implies that the money did not come from the area's coffers.
Our ambulance crews time is precious and so is yours.
— North West Ambulance Service (@NWAmbulance) February 25, 2023
Use 999 for genuine life-threatening emergencies only and think https://t.co/Q9820lk3SO for less serious concerns. This way, we can get to the people who need us most, faster. #EverySecondCounts pic.twitter.com/XoxomFLqW6
Restructuring to regional NHS care providers came recently, which saw the abolition of NHS Warrington CCG, in favour of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.
Breaking down the figures released to the Warrington Guardian, it can be revealed that the NHS spent only £572.50 on private ambulances in Warrington throughout 2019/20, and nothing on taxi fares.
In 2021/22, there was a spend of £986.58 on taxis, and no spending on private ambulances; the latest figures available show spending from the NHS in Warrington of £1,234.18 in 2022/23, though this financial year is not yet complete.
When asked for a breakdown of the spending between August 2022 and February 2023, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside revealed the following:
- August; taxi spend: £10.65 - private ambulance spend: £0
- September; taxi spend: £119.33 - private ambulance spend: £0
- October; taxi spend: -£0.65 - private ambulance spend: £0
- November; no spending
- December; no spending
- January; taxi spend: £0 - private ambulance spend: £1,055
- February; data unavailable
When contacted by the Warrington Guardian to comment on the findings, a spokesperson for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: "Like other NHS organisations, arrangements with taxi firms and third-party providers to provide complementary support are in place.
"They are only used for patients when it is clinically appropriate to do so and in line with national guidelines.
“As well as playing a vital role in the local response to the Covid-19 pandemic, these additional providers can support people whose medical condition or mobility constraint would otherwise be a major barrier to them accessing NHS services."
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