The Web is full of links to instances of NSL Patient Transport Service letting patients down, even after a particular Area Contract started July last year and in March THIS Year they were still letting patients down in that area.

Note: Kent and Medway Contracted 1st July 2013 let down patients of Canterbury Hospital in the first week, see Kent Online.

I will be contacting my Local Area Team to see what they have to say about the 0843 number - incidently the NSL HO in London has an 0844 number, so there is no excuse that they dont know what they are doing.

Having been previously part of National Car Parks they obviously thought the NHS was a soft touch for their napharious activities, making the Patients pay extra is just as bad as GP's 0844.

I wonder if NHS England have realised this was going on, more mismanagment left over from the notorious PCTs.

I think I shall contact ASA and reporting them for misleading advertising.

CJT-80 wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2013 at 12:14pm:


On my way CJT 80, just collecting more details and aquiring target area in NHS England.

This is a similar scenario to the Complaint I made to my then PCT, about their none activity regarding GP 0844 number which I escalated to Health Omb. Service.

The Kent and Medway NSL Contract was tendered and bid in Jan 2012 when it was a PCT and the Local Area Team is exactly the same Force with a different name only, but with the same unacceptable poliicy which it has carried over to its new role after 1st April.

I will also be reporting to ASA as I have found that NSL have in all Areas of their Patient Transport Service operation, printed on their leaflets under each different Area 0843 number (Local Rate)

I will be taking professional advice on how to present these complaints so that it will be done right first time.

These complaints will take time to even get any reply let alone results so bear with me if it appears to go quiet from me. 

Below is the link to a New Page with the 'proper wording' instead of the old link showing 'never more than 5p'
 
http://www.nsl.co.uk/kent-and-medway/   

Note the change to nsl.co.uk from nslcareservices on the old link.

The 'New' page Archived on 23 November, in line with ASA requests but the Internet is still peppered with the 'old' misleading information and first equally unacceptable effort Archived on 14th Sept and the 'Patient Use Leaflets have not been changed, this was also part of the ASA complaint.

The Original and 1st change Archived on 11th and 14th Sept

If you type NSL Kent and Medway into Google it now goes to the 'New' page, but if you only know the 'old' link it still goes to the unacceptable 'Never more than 5p' etc.

NSL have only done the minimum to wriggle round the re-wording requirement. The Patient leaflet is now back on my horizon.

bazzerfewi wrote on Nov 25^th, 2013 at 3:22pm:

Ofcom is currently biting into the extensive objections to its proposals that have been raised by EE and others.

Once these have been thoroughly chewed and spat out (as demanded of every public body) the ASA can start getting away from the improper promotion of one provider, which the current CAP guidelines recommend.

bigjohn wrote on Jan 18^th, 2014 at 3:39am:

In England Directions were issued to NHS bodies in December 2009 which forbid them and contractors from using 084 numbers.

The these Directions were ignored by the then PCTs both in the case of Directions for GP Contracts and seperately for Directions for NHS Contractors.

In all areas where NSL uses 0843 the Patient Transport were Tendered, Bid and Contracted by those PCTs. In the case of Kent this was Contracted Jan 2012 but only went live 1st July 2013 after the 1st April re-arrangement by NHS England of PCT to Local Area Teams, but their perverse acceptance of 0844 and 0843 in connection with our Public Service the NHS.

NHS England is sorting the GP's 0844 and I hope shortly the NSL 0843 will follow suit.

I have already contacted the ASA with regard to NSL Kent and Medway publishing calls are charged at Local and the correct call rate is now published but there is a lot of mopping up to be done locally. I was only able to Complain about Kent and Medway but did also mention other areas in which this occured.

Only one area offers an 03 number but this is historic being the original company Patient First, pre NSL then merged, but keeping the 03 number.

Devon are showiing some geo. numbers because it is tied up with the alternative taxi service bookable through the Hospitals in various parts, below is a link from NSL pre activation  publication that shows these geo. numbrs and also shows the NSL 0843 number.

Devon and from 1st Oct 2013   0843 357 5700  for Comments   
http://www.nslcareservices.co.uk/new-devon

South Shropshire is the only area with 0333 number (historic Patient First number mentioned )

Below is a link to the actual 2009 document that is very clear on this subject for Contractors which PCTs chose to ignore against getting a cheaper deal, without considering that the Patients would be paying in some cases over £6 just to book Medical need Non Emergency Transport to Hospital Appts.


This is the 2009 document link

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/pr...

It is now up to the Local Area Teams to put this right after the misdemeanors of the PCTs who in the past were autonimous but now NHS England has got the teeth to make them, after they have sorted the remaining GP 0844 numbers.