A family company that drives people to the doctor

What we actually do all day

Most of the work is the same handful of trips, repeated. A resident of an assisted living community needs to be at a cardiology appointment at ten. A dialysis patient goes three times a week and needs collecting when treatment ends rather than at a time booked in advance. Somebody is being discharged and the family is two states away.

None of that is dramatic. All of it goes badly if the vehicle is late, if the driver will not come to the door, or if nobody answers the phone when the plan changes at short notice.

Why we keep going on about the return trip

Getting somebody to a booked appointment is the easy half. The time is known days ahead and any company can hit it. The rides that fail are the ones home, because the trigger is unpredictable: treatment runs long, the doctor is behind, the discharge clears at four instead of two.

That is where this industry leaves people sitting in lobbies, and it is what we organise the day around. It is also why we would rather you called when a discharge is likely than when it is confirmed.

Who turns up at the door

Drivers wear a uniform and a photo identification badge, so the person at the door is obviously the person you were expecting. They are trained in first aid and CPR, and in securing a wheelchair properly, which is a real skill and not the same thing as being able to fold one into a boot.

They are not clinical staff. We do not monitor patients, manage medication or supply oxygen, and a company that tells you otherwise is describing an ambulance service rather than this one.