Nairn’s PPG (Patient Participation Group) is to carry out a short program of research into transport issues in the area. Chair of the PPG, Simon Noble told the Gurn:
"Even though there’s a few buses, the Dial-a-bus and facilities available through Nairn Community Transport we’re pretty sure there’s plenty of people who can’t get around as much as they’d like, and that although buses are affordable, they don’t run at the times people need to travel. We believe that a flexible community car scheme, of the kind operated elsewhere in the Highland Region, could dovetail well into existing transport arrangements. This piece of research is intended to provide better information on which to take our ideas forward.
Lots of local groups like PPG and the Community Councils have heard reports of transport difficulties, both within Nairn and in the surrounding rural communities. PPG in particular has heard of a number of examples when patients have resorted to booking taxis with money they need for other things in order to attend GP or hospital appointments. We’ve heard of others who haven’t attended appointments because of difficulties in arranging transport at the right time.
The research will be carried out via a short questionnaire, which will be made available widely throughout the community in paper form as well as online.
PPG has received tremendous support from RCOP Highland in arranging this research and has obtained enough fundingthrough their Community Initiative Fund to recruit an experienced interviewer to help.It is intended that she fill in questionnaires on a face-to-face basis with patients attending appointments at both GP Surgeries and the Town and County Hospital and at other locations around the area. We hope to enlist the help of local retailers and other public venues to make questionnaires available to people to complete on their own.
People can also access the survey through two on-line questionnaires, one about getting to their last appointment at the surgery or hospital and one about more general “getting about” issues. People can access these directly at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9SF66SM About their last appointment
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9RDVZBT About General transport issues
PPG is joining together with other local groups to form a project steering group. The project group, which will include local businessmen as well as advisors from Highland Council, the Community Transport Association and Nairn Access panel, will review the results of the survey and considermaking a bid for funds to contract a consultant to help work out the best way of going about setting up a community car scheme."
No comments:
Post a Comment