Suffolk: Patients having issues with E-zec Medical

Issues have been raised by residents about E-zec Medical, a non-emergency transport service for those who have little or no means of getting to hospital. 

One Ipswich resident described their experience to this newspaper.

"I am currently having kidney dyalysis," they said.

"Initially this was at Ipswich Hospital and later I was transferred to Aldeburgh Hospital.

Patients have complained about delays continuing for months. Credit: PA

"While having treatment at Ipswich there were frequent occasions when the expected transport did not arrive at the stated time - often being one or two hours late.

"This situation continued for months.

"In desperation, one incident led to me telephoning a neighbour to ask them to kindly collect me from Aldeburgh Hospital."

One resident living in West Suffolk, who has in the past had a stroke alongside also being partially disabled, saw their appointment cancelled after transport arrived "almost two hours late".

A letter explaining the situation read: "This caused great concern for both [the patient] and their family since this was a very important first appointment.

"A second appointment was arranged and there were again delays - but the appointment was completed. 

"This leaves [the patient] and everyone concerned in a state of near panic.

"This is not safe or satisfactory."

E-zec’s regional manager for Suffolk, Darron Burns, said the company continues "to do our very best for all patients, despite the many pressures faced by the healthcare sector as a whole."

"We adhere to the eligibility criteria in our patient transport contracts, which does mean that few patients may not be able to get transport with us," he added.

"However, in these instances we always signpost patients to alternative transport options.

Issues have persisted across the county - with two patients from West Suffolk and Ipswich sharing their story with this newspaper. Credit: Newsquest (Image: Newsquest)

"Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases until internal investigations are complete, we do urge patients with any concerns to email our complaints department."

A spokesman for the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board added: "We are sorry to hear that some people’s experiences of the local patient transport service have not been as positive as we would have liked. 

"While this is not an ideal position, in recent months we have seen an improvement in the number of vehicles on the road and the amount of patients arriving on time for their appointments has increased. 

"There clearly is more to do but our system will continue to work with the service provider to ensure local people have access to a quality patient transport service that meets their needs."

Patients quoted in this article have been kept anonymous for privacy purposes.