To ask the Minister of Health to detail the transport options that exist for people in rural areas to travel to hospital appointments, in particular when very short notice of an appointment is given.

My Department has a statutory responsibility to provide non-urgent transport to hospital appointments in certain circumstances. Under our 2007 Transport Strategy for Health and Social Care Services in Northern Ireland, this service is provided to those who have a medical need, as determined by a medical practitioner. Medical need is defined in the strategy as being: “Where the patient’s condition could be significantly worsened if there were a failure to provide transport or, where the patient’s condition is of such severity that it renders them unfit to travel by any other means, except non-emergency ambulance transport, or some other form of non-emergency transport”.

Medical practitioners assessing eligibility for transport have the flexibility to consider the needs of people with particular mobility problems, or individuals who are rurally isolated, where there is no other form of available and suitable transport.

Advice on community transport options that exist for people in rural areas to travel to hospital appointments is a matter for the Minister for Infrastructure, who has responsibility for funding community transport schemes.