What action is being taken to reduce the number of abortive journeys by patient transport services in each NHS board area.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has been liaising closely with NHS boards and community health partnerships through a series of workshops, liaison groups and multi disciplinary patients transport project groups to find a way of reducing aborted journeys.
The SAS Patient Transport Strategy will be fully revised during 2008-09 to ensure it addresses issues arising from Scottish Government policies and strategies, including national transport strategies and the Better Health, Better Care Action Plan which outlined the need for NHS Scotland to engage more effectively with the seven Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs), given the statutory duty on RTPs to develop local transport strategies which support the provision of health care.
In order to continuously develop patient transport services, further collaborations with NHS boards, local authorities and voluntary agencies continue to be explored to improve the cohesion and efficiency of collective health and social care transport resources.
SAS will continue to work towards ensuring flexibility and efficiency in meeting the health transport needs of patients.