Lakes District Health Board has set up a freephone number for all people requiring help with transport to health related appointments.
The new central co-ordination point has been established so the board can better match patients requiring transport with contracted transport providers, via the national travel and accommodation co-ordinator basedat Rotorua Hospital.
From next Monday, the 0800 768 537 number will be manned from 7am to 5pm each weekday. Operators will liaise with the different transport groups providing services, including Rotorua-based providers Te Kahui Hauora Trust, Aroha Mai and the Turangi Transport Group.
Outside of these times, the calls will go to answerphone and responded to on the following weekday. With people calling in to make arrangements for transport, the central co-ordination point will make it easier to match patients requiring transport with groups holding the transport contracts.
