PTS COVID-19 Positive Discharge Shuttle eases burden on NSW hospitals

Transporting over 2,000 COVID-19 positive patients throughout September and October, nine dedicated shuttle services were stood up to support an increased number of patient transport requests across Metropolitan Sydney.

Date published: 09 Dec 2021

Author: Samantha Roberts

Collaborate Healthshare NSW News COVID-19 Patient transport service

With the emergence of the COVID-19 Delta variant in NSW came an increased number of transport requests for patients who were COVID-19 positive but otherwise physically fit and not typically eligible for the Patient Transport Service (PTS).

In response to this new challenge, PTS partnered with National Patient Transport (NPT) to create the PTS COVID-19 Positive Discharge Shuttle.

The service was launched in Liverpool to meet the high demand in the South Western Sydney Local Health District and transported over 1,000 COVID-19 positive patients in its first three weeks of operation. In this same time period, PTS recorded an overall increase of 23 percent in timeliness, from 65 percent to 88 percent across all PTS COVID-19 transports.

The shuttle service operated on a regular schedule and transported Sydney-based COVID-19 positive patients who did not require hospitalisation and were able to return home. Due to their infectious status, these patients weren’t able to take other transportation such as a taxi or ride share, and often had no alternative means to get home. In addition to facilitating patient flow, the shuttle service ensured infection prevention and control was maintained.

The service used buses large enough to safely transport up to 10 patients per run, which not only helped hospitals clear patients for discharge, but also returned a significant amount of time and capacity to PTS to transport high acuity patients.

To ensure the safety of patients and staff on board, PTS worked with the HealthShare NSW Clinical Governance and Safety team and the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) to put necessary infection prevention and controls in place including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements and seating arrangements.

The NSW Health Patient Transport Service plays a critical role in supporting patient flow in hospitals by transporting patients between hospitals and home after discharge to free up beds for new patients.

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