When a patient needs support to attend a medical appointment, the Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme pays for a medical escort.
The patient can nominate any person to travel with them as an escort. They could be a family member, carer, or friend, though escorts must be 18 or older and they must be able to provide the patient with the support they need.
How do I request a medical escort?
Some groups of patients will have escorts authorised by an appropriate clinician:
- Maternity patients will have an escort authorised by their midwife, if required
- Oncology patients will have an escort authorised by their oncology nurse, if required
- Patients whose pre-assessment is carried out in Shetland will have the need for an escort assessed as part of the pre-assessment process
If you don’t fall into the categories above, you’ll have to complete a Travel Escort Application Form (docx).
Forms can also be requested from Patient Travel.
Please submit your completed form to Patient Travel, which can authorise some requests.
If your request falls outside the categories Patient Travel can authorise, it will send your request on to the Review Group. The Review Group will assess your request and decide whether to approve or deny it.
Patient Travel will let you know if your request has been approved or denied. If it has been denied, you can request a review of the decision by completing a Travel Escort Review Form (docx).
A more detailed patient information leaflet on funded medical escorts can be found here.