Health transport review called for

A report by St John shows a burgeoning need for co-ordinated, free or very-low-cost health transport services at a national level to support New Zealand’s ageing population.

St John director of Community Health Services Sarah Manley says St John is making a significant impact in communities served by its health shuttles, but is calling for more support from other NGOs and Government to improve equity of access into the future.

“In the 2017 calendar year, St John invested $2.76 million into provision of 54 health shuttles on the road, completing almost 75,000 client trips.

“Nearly half the clients (46 per cent) said they had no other option to get to their health appointments.

“That’s tens of thousands of GP visits, therapy appointments and scheduled surgeries that otherwise wouldn’t happen, or would present financial challenges to patients and their families. St John is proud to provide this service and we thank our 600 plus volunteers putting in more than 61,000 volunteer hours who make this happen.”

The report identifies a significant opportunity in for service providers and Government to come together to form a strategy.

St John is calling for a national symposium on community transport to take place within the next two years to discuss the future needs, challenges, and ideas to continue improving social and health equity. Sarah says other areas of focus should include remote and rural areas, improving social connectedness, consistent delivery models and ‘by Ma¯ori for Ma¯ori’ health shuttle services.