Transport (Scotland) Act 2019

Health boards: duty to work with community transport bodies

121 Health boards: duty to work with community transport bodies

(1) In providing non-emergency patient transport services, each health board must work with bodies which provide community transport services in its area.

(2) But nothing in subsection (1) requires a body which provides community transport services in its area to undertake work for which it does not have the capacity.

(3) As soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each financial year, each health board must publish a report setting out—

(a) the steps it has taken to comply with the duty in subsection (1),

(b) its position on the extent to which non-emergency patient transport services in its area have been—

(i) effective, and

(ii) cost effective,

(c) any further action it proposes to take to comply with the duty in subsection (1).

(4) A report under subsection (3) may be published in such manner as the board considers appropriate.

(5) In this section, “community transport services” means—

(a) community bus services within the meaning of section 22(1) of the Transport Act 1985, and

(b) such other transport services or descriptions of transport services which are provided—

(i) by a body concerned for the social and welfare needs of one or more communities, and

(ii) without a view to profit by that body or anybody else,

as the Scottish Ministers may by regulations specify.