THOUSANDS of patients in Gwent who rely on NHS-organised transport to get to and from hospital for non-urgent consultations and treatment, will benefit from improvements if proposals to revamp the service are successful.

A new report describes current non-emergency patient transport in Wales as fragmented, not patient-led, and in need of improved management.

Now proposals to make them more patient-centred are to be tested, with voluntary organisations set to play a key part.

Around 1.4 million non-emergency patient transport journeys are carried out every in Wales, to get people to and from consultations or day treatments.

Users include those who need regular kidney dialysis, or chemotherapy, and are usually vulnerable, with physical or other disabilities, and dependent on such transport.

Examples of the service not being patient-centred, revealed in an Assembly-commissioned report by Win Griffiths, who chairs Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board include: inconvenient and uncomfortable, multiple-stop, long journeys for patients; seriously ill patients furthest away from the hospital being picked up first and dropped back home last; carers not being able to travel with their patient.

Mr Griffiths' review proposes four pilot projects to test the best ways of delivering improvements, involving more use of voluntary organisations to carry out journeys.

Only seven per cent of journeys are undertaken by the voluntary sector, yet organisations such as St John Wales, which already runs some services in South Wales, believes there is great scope for expanding their role.

Using other vehicles instead of minibuses for more comfortable modes of travel, and offering bespoke services to cater for the specialist needs of vulnerable patients, will also be examined.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board and others in Wales will be expected to take part in four pilot projects looking at ways of improving the service.