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Investigation after NHS taxi firm leaves woman in wheelchair 'abandoned' outside her home
A taxi firm and the NHS in Bristol are carrying out an investigation after a woman in a wheelchair was left at the entrance to her block of flats and unable to get to her home on the second floor. Pat Lewis, who was being brought home from one of her twice-weekly dialysis sessions at the Knowle West Medical Centre, had to call her carer and was left waiting more than half an hour in the foyer of her building near the city centre.
Taxi drivers contracted by the NHS are supposed to ensure patients - many of whom have special needs, or are disabled - are taken from door to door.
Ms Lewis, 62, said the taxi driver told her he didn’t have time to take her in the lift up to her home, and rushed off, leaving her stranded. She said she felt ‘just abandoned’. “There was nothing I can do,” she said. “I’ve got multiple sclerosis and also kidney failure so I was going for my dialysis. I’m not able to use the lift on my own because of my condition - I have to be pushed into the lift and I just can’t do it myself,” she added.
Left waiting in the entrance doorway of her flats in St George’s Road, near College Green, Pat frantically called her regular carer, who rushed over to get her back in her own home. “She came after half an hour and she got there as soon as she could,” said Pat. “It didn’t feel really very nice. I started getting really low. It was awful to be honest,” she said. “The taxi man has left me before like this - but luckily there were people in the building who were able to help me. The taxi man is supposed to take me right to my front door,” she added.
Pat has lived in Bristol since she was ten and what happened to her has shocked her friends. Childhood friend Lynn Moreno said it was shocking to see her so upset. “She was and is one of the most selfless human beings I know - she laughs and is cheery all the time in an authentic way,” she said. “She did not complain to me, but stated it as a fact that this is a regular occurrence, and so she reported it because she was worried it was happening to other people too,” she added.
Pat is a registered patient at Southmead Hospital, which had sent her for dialysis at Knowle West, which meant the taxi was contracted by Bristol NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. A spokesperson for the CCG urged Pat to contact them directly so they could investigate. “We are disappointed to hear there has been a complaint about the service and will investigate what has happened with our partners,” she said. “We take all complaints about the services we commission very seriously and would urge Mrs Lewis to contact us directly with her concerns,” she added. “We commission V Cars Streamline Black and White Taxis to provide patient transport services, which includes ensuring patients are delivered back into a safe environment following an appointment.
Pat has complained to the taxi firm involved, Streamline, where bosses said they had investigated the complaint. “We are sorry that Mrs Lewis felt disappointed with the service she received on this occasion,” a spokesperson said. “Streamline Cars carries hundreds of disabled passengers every year without incident, but we have already conducted an internal investigation into what occurred in this particular journey,” he added.
“The driver, who has undertaken safeguarding training, was confident that his passenger was safe and secure and that the carer was due to arrive in minutes. “We take our responsibility to disabled passengers seriously and it is our policy that drivers ensure passengers are in a safe environment before they depart. “We will work closely with Mrs Lewis and the NHS to ensure there is a clear understanding of responsibilities in the future,” he said.
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