Appendix A Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) dataset
In August 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the outcome of a review into Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS). The review set out a new national framework for NEPTS, with the aim of ensuring that services are consistently responsive, fair, and sustainable.
The review highlighted a lack of transparent and consistent data on activity, performance, and costs to the extent that information on NEPTS activity and performance is not available nationally, regionally, and in many cases locally. Such transparency and consistency in data collection has the scope to be enormously valuable to transport providers, healthcare providers, and systems as they seek to improve services and innovate. It should help identify best practice. It also provides a stronger basis for understanding how well the NHS is achieving our goals of a responsive, fair, and sustainable service, and supporting meaningful public accountability and engagement with partners.
This appendix provides the fifth dataset with definitions. Data will be collected nationally and follows a detailed engagement with commissioners, providers, and patient groups. Data will be collected annually and the dataset may be developed further over time.
Objectives and domains
The NEPTS Review introduced a new framework for NEPTS, one that delivers a service that is responsive, fair and sustainable. As a result, the national dataset is focused on those core objectives with a series of related domains.
| Objective | Domain |
|---|---|
| Responsive | A. Patient satisfaction, communication and safety |
| Responsive | B. Co-ordination and integration |
| Responsive | C. Journey quality and timeliness |
| Fair | D. Service use and health inequalities |
| Sustainable | E. Financial sustainability |
| Sustainable | F. Environmental sustainability (to be developed) |
National dataset
The following data items will be collected at integrated care board (ICB) level.
| Number | Domain | Data item description |
| 1 | B | Total number of completed patient eligibility assessments |
| 2 | B | Total number of patient eligibility assessments that successfully passed eligibility criteria |
| 3 | B | Total number of patient eligibility assessments that failed the eligibility criteria and the decision was overturned at appeal |
| 4 | B | Total number of completed patient eligibility assessment appeals |
| 5 | B | Total number of HTCS claims for ICB |
| 6 | B | Total cost of HTCS claims for ICB |
| 7 | B | Total number of booked journeys split by journey type |
| 8 | B | Total number of booked journeys split by the source (telephone or online) of the booking and by journey type |
| 9 | C | Total number of cancelled journeys split by journey type |
| 10 | B | Total number of journeys booked on the day of travel by journey type |
| 11 | B | Total number of journeys where the patient is accompanied by an escort split by journey type |
| 12 | C | Total number of aborted journeys split by journey type |
| 13 | D | Total number of completed journeys split by journey type |
| 14 | C |
Total number of inward journeys where the patient arrives for their outpatient appointment within specified time bands before and after their appointment time, split by journey type, and whether the journey was pre-planned, or booked on the day.
|
| 15 | C | Total number of outward journeys where the patient is collected following their outpatient appointment within specified time bands after their planned collection time, split by journey type, and whether the journey was pre-planned, or booked on the day.
|
| 16 | D | Total number of completed journeys for an oncology treatment appointment |
| 17 | B |
Total number of journeys where patients are in each age band split by journey type:
|
| 18 | B | Average number of patients per vehicle journey |
| 19 | B | Average number of escorts per vehicle journey |
| 20 | D | Total number of completed journeys split by patient mobility |
| 21 | E | Total NEPTS spend across the ICB |
| 22 | E | Patient transport spend not included within NEPTS contract |
| 23 | D | Activity by indices of multiple deprivation (deciles 1-10) based on postcode of patient's registered address |
| 24 | B | Total number of completed journeys split by lead provider and subcontractor |
| 25 | F | Total number of journeys completed by vehicles provided in vehicle-level data (Data set B) |
The following items will be collected at vehicle-level (Data set B).
| Number | Domain | Item description |
| 26 | F | Provider type |
| 27 | F | Vehicle registration number |
| 28 | F | NEPTS vehicle mileage |
Definitions
The following definitions should be used in the data items listed.
|
Description |
Definition |
| Aborted journeys | A booked journey that is subsequently aborted, including all abort reasons. |
| Appointment time | The time of the patient’s appointment. |
| Cancelled journeys | A booked journey that is subsequently cancelled, including all cancellation reasons but excluding aborted journeys. |
| Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme | Patients may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme. |
| Indices of Deprivation | The index of multiple deprivation ranks each small area in England from most to least deprived. Evidence shows that those living in the most deprived areas of England face the worst healthcare inequalities in relation to healthcare access, experience, and outcomes. |
| Ineligible patient | A patient who, after a completed eligibility assessment, is deemed not to be eligible. |
| Journey | A single journey, for example, an inward journey and an outward journey is 2 separate journeys. The split will be by HCP (Health Care Professional) or relative by journey type. |
| Journey type | The split of each individual journey by: a. Outpatient – Incentre Haemodialysis b. Outpatient – Other c. Discharge d. Hospital Transfer Other |
| Journey type: a. Outpatient – Incentre Haemodialysis |
A journey booked to transport a patient to, or from, incentre haemodialysis. |
| Journey type: b. Outpatient – Other |
A journey booked to transport a patient to, or from, an outpatient appointment but excluding an appointment for incentre haemodialysis. |
| Journey type: c. Discharge |
A journey booked to discharge a patient from inpatient care. |
| Journey type: d. Hospital Transfer |
A journey booked to transfer a patient between hospitals. |
| Journey type: e. Other |
A journey booked for a reason that does not map to the other journey types a. to d. |
| NEPTS Vehicle mileage | Total vehicle mileage in completion of NEPTS journeys Include dead mileage in service of contract (for example, base-to-patient, logistical relocation). If dead mileage can be attributed to a NEPTS service (for example, base-to-patient) then this sub-total should be included in full. Where dead mileage for a vehicle could be attributed to other NEPTS contracts or non-NEPTS services it should be split accordingly. Exclude mileage unrelated to this NEPTS service, where possible. |
| Oncology treatment appointment | An appointment for the purposes of oncology treatment or care. |
| Online booking | A journey booking that comes from a web-based portal. This could be by a patient or health care professional. |
| Patient arrives | The point at which the patient arrives at their destination. |
| Patient is collected | The point at which the patient is collected for their outward journey home. |
| Patient eligibility assessment | Each individual assessment of eligibility completed. |
| Provider type: Lead Provider - NHS Ambulance Trust |
An NHS ambulance trust is the lead provider and refers to journeys completed by that trust’s own resource, excluding volunteers |
| Provider type: Lead Provider - Other NHS Provider |
A non-ambulance NHS trust is the lead provider and refers to journeys completed by that trust’s own resource, excluding volunteers |
| Provider type: Lead Provider - Other |
A non-NHS organisation is the lead provider and refers to journeys completed by that organisation’s own resource, excluding volunteers |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - NHS Provider |
This refers to journeys completed by an NHS provider as a subcontractor to the lead provider, excluding volunteers |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - Independent Ambulance |
This refers to journeys completed by an independent ambulance provider as a subcontractor to the lead provider, excluding volunteers |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - Volunteer hosted by Lead Provider |
This refers to journeys completed by a volunteer hosted by the lead provider |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - Other Volunteer or VCSE organisation |
This refers to journeys completed by a volunteer hosted by a subcontractor, or by a VCSE organisation as a subcontractor to the lead provider |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - Taxi |
This refers to journeys completed by a licenced taxi organisation as a subcontractor to the lead provider |
| Provider type: Subcontractor - Other |
This refers to journeys completed by a subcontractor not included in the above |
| Transport advice and/or guidance | Advice and/or guidance provided by NEPTS to support a patient to make independent travel arrangements |
| Transport bookings |
A booking for a single journey, for example, an inward journey and an outward journey is 2 separate bookings. Short notice bookings are those journeys that are booked on the day of travel. Pre-planned journeys are those booked before the day of travel. |
|
Mobility categories |
Mobility code |
Number of crew: 1 crew member includes the driver only |
Mobility definitions |
| Walker | W | ||
| Walker | W1 | 1 | Able to bend into a car Can manage their own mobility needs Requires no lifting or moving No specific medical assistance requirements during the journey |
| Walker with assistance | W1A | 1 |
Unable to bend into a car |
| Double crew | DC | ||
| Double crew 2 | DC2 | 2 | Requires the assistance of a 2-person crew to and from the vehicle and/or during the journey May require lifting or moving May require a wheelchair or carry chair from and to home and appointment to and from vehicle Can transfer from wheelchair to vehicle with support |
| Wheelchair | WC | ||
| Wheelchair 1 | WC1 | 1 | Needs to travel in their own wheelchair May require assistance to and from the vehicle There is simple access at home and destination (no more than one step) |
| Wheelchair 2 | WC2 | 2 | Needs to travel in their own wheelchair May require assistance to and from the vehicle or during the journey. There are steps at home and/or destination |
| Electric wheelchair 1 | EWC1 | 1 | Needs to travel in their own electric wheelchair May require assistance to and from the vehicle There is simple access at home and destination (No more than one step) |
| Electric wheelchair 2 | EWC2 | 2 | Needs to travel in their own electric wheelchair May require assistance to and from the vehicle or during the journey. There are steps at home and/or destination |
| Stretcher | ST | ||
| Stretcher | ST2 | 2 | Requires transportation whilst on a stretcher Needs to travel on a stretcher for the duration of the journey May require assistance during the journey |
| Complex | C | ||
| Bariatric wheelchair | BWC2 | 2 | Needs to travel in their own bariatric wheelchair May require assistance to and from the vehicle or during the journey |
| Bariatric stretcher | BST2 | 2 | Requires transportation whilst on a stretcher Needs to travel on a stretcher for the duration of the journey May require assistance to and from the vehicle or during the journey |
| Multi-crew 3 | MC3 | 3 | Requires 3 staff A risk assessment is usually completed to determine if specialist equipment is necessary |
| Multi-crew 4+ | MC4+ | 4+ | Requires 4 or more staff A risk assessment is usually completed to determine the number of crew required and if specialist equipment is necessary |
Last edited: 30 October 2025 12:49 pm