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Patient transport

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Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) is for patients who require clinical monitoring or supervision during transport to and from hospital or medical appointments.

To ensure NEPT is available and can continue efficiently for those who need it, from 30 September 2024 all pre-booked Non-Emergency Patient Transport requests (requests for transport in greater than 90 minutes) must:

This will help us to significantly reduce the strain on air and road ambulances and ensure that NEPT services can continue to meet the needs of the growing Victorian community, while also improving overall ambulance availability.

Any queries should be directed to PTBookings@ambulance.vic.gov.au.

Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) booking form

Clinic Transport Services (CTS) booking form

Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT)

Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) is for patients who require clinical monitoring or supervision during transport, but do not require a time critical ambulance response.

Ambulance Victoria provides NEPT services in accordance with the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Regulations 2016 and the Non-Emergency Clinical Practice Protocols (CPPs).

If it is an emergency you should call Triple Zero (000).

Most NEPT transfers occur between hospitals, or between home and outpatient appointments. Some aged care patients may also be transported to and from specialist health appointments and rehabilitation. The majority of NEPT transfers are provided by road, with some undertaken by air services.

NEPT bookings need to be authorised as clinically necessary by an appropriate health professional. Authorisation considers whether there is a demonstrated clinical need as prescribed in the Non-Emergency Patient Transport Regulations 2016.

All patient transport requests are assessed under stringent clinical guidelines overseen by the Ambulance Medical Advisory Committee and the Department of Health.

Booking Non-Emergency Patient Transport

Triple Zero Victoria receives and processes NEPT booking requests that have been authorised by medical professionals for patient transport, then dispatch available resources based on the patient’s acuity and clinical requirements.

Pre-booked transport requests (other than those required within 90 minutes) must be booked using the Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) booking form.

Phone bookings can only be made for NEPT transport required within 90 minutes by calling 1300 366 313.

Return transport requests will only be actioned once Triple Zero Victoria receives verbal confirmation from the requestor that the patient is ready for return transport (please note that all return trips are still required to have been booked in advance using the Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) booking form). This also applies to any recurring return trips. Please call 1300 366 313 when ready to confirm the return transport.

Patient transport cannot currently be booked greater than 14 days in advance.

NEPT booking process

  1. Book using the Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) booking form or calling 1300 366 313 if the NEPT transport is required within 90 minutes.
  2. A confirmation email will be sent to advise the booking has been received.
  3. Another confirmation email will be sent from Triple Zero Victoria (TZV) to advise that the booking has been processed.
  4. All return transport requests will only be actioned once TZV receives verbal confirmation (via 1300 366 313) that the patient is ready. All return trips are still required to have been booked in advance using the online booking form.

Booking requests which do not qualify for transport will be advised via email. The health service requesting the booking is responsible for discussing alternative transport options, ie assistance from family or friends, taxi or rideshare services and public transport. View Community transport providers.

NEPT booking criteria

As per the NEPT Regulations (2016), to qualify for NEPT transport, the patient must meet all of the following three criteria:

  • The transport must be clinically necessary;
  • The patient must require clinical monitoring, care or supervision during transport provided by either a paramedic, health professional or qualified patient transport officer or attendant;
  • The transport must have been authorised as being medically necessary by an
    appropriate health professional.

Patients meeting the above criteria are likely to:

  • Require the use of specialised medical equipment contained within the vehicle;
  • Require the clinical skill levels and qualifications of the staff in the vehicle; or
  • Have an illness or a disability that makes it impractical to use any other form of transport, for example, severe immobility or disorientation.

Bookings for mental health patients

Mental health patients who require NEPT transport can only be made on the day of transport and booked via 1300 366 313. For all emergency transport requests, please use Triple Zero (000).

Clinic Transport Services (CTS)

Clinic Transport Services (CTS) are available Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm, within the Melbourne metropolitan area only. CTS vehicles are equipped to accommodate walker, walker assist and hoist patients who require visual clinical monitoring.

Through our booking process, we accommodate patients based on their clinical needs and the extent of their ability to ambulate independently, with or without assistance.

Walker and Walker Assist Patients must be able to:

  • Walk unassisted, or with the help of a frame or a stick.
  • Climb two steps into a minibus.
  • Comfortably enter and exit a station wagon with minimal assistance.
  • Travel comfortably in a seated position.

Booking CTS services

Ambulance Victoria receives and processes CTS booking requests that have been authorised by medical professionals for low acuity patient transport, then dispatch available resources based on the patient’s acuity and clinical requirements.

Transport requests must be booked using the Clinic Transport Services (CTS) booking form (296 KB PDF).

For general enquiries relating to CTS, Walker, Walker Assist or Hoist bookings (Metropolitan Only) please phone: 1300 360 929

Walker and hoist resources are available in some rural areas for patients who require visual clinical monitoring. For rural patients, please book via the Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) booking form.

CTS transport can be booked up to 90 days in advance.

CTS booking process

  1. All CTS bookings must be faxed to 1300 361 929 using the Clinic Transport Services (CTS) booking form.
  2. Bookings will be confirmed via fax or email
  3. For general enquiries about CTS, Walker/Walker Assist/Hoist bookings (Metropolitan Only), phone 1300 366 313.

Booking requests which do not qualify for transport will be advised via email. The health service requesting the booking is responsible for discussing alternative transport options, ie assistance from family or friends, taxi or rideshare services and public transport. View Community transport providers.

CTS booking criteria

Wheelchair confined patients may be transferred by hoist into a hoist vehicle and transported with their own wheelchair.

Patients may not be suitable for transport by CTS if they:

  • Require intervening treatment, monitoring, IV therapy, oxygen or clinical observations while in transit
  • Require transport for mental health conditions
  • Are unable to travel with other patients for infection control or other reasons
  • Need to be transported directly to an Emergency Department
  • The patient’s weight, girth or clinical requirements mean that an alternative resource (for example, CPAV) is warranted in the circumstances.

Stretcher resources

Stretcher patients may be low, medium, or high acuity and must require treatment, monitoring, observation, or supervision during transport. Stretcher services are available in both metropolitan Melbourne and many regional locations across Victoria.

Stretcher resources are assigned to eligible bookings made via the standard NEPT booking form.

Complex Patient Ambulance Vehicles (CPAV) resources

CPAV are specialised resources used for transport of bariatric patients or where specialist on-board equipment is required. The CPAV crew may assist an emergency ambulance to lift or extract a patient, or where patients cannot be accommodated using an alternate platform. CPAV resources are available in metropolitan Melbourne and many rural locations across the state.

CPAV resources are assigned to eligible bookings made via the standard NEPT booking form.

If CPAV is required within a 90 minute timeframe, call Triple Zero Vic on 1300 366 313.

Billable transports

Billable transports are transports that do not meet the Ambulance Service Payment Guidelines and cannot be booked via Triple Zero Victoria. If a patient’s circumstances do not meet the guidelines for patient transport and/or the patient is personally responsible for payment, they can contact a patient transport provider directly to request a quote as to the cost of the proposed transport. Ambulance Victoria does not quote for this service.

Please refer to the public register of licensed Non-Emergency Patient Transport providers for a list of patient transport providers.

Where a transport is billable, the responsibility for payment is managed directly between the provider and the individual contracting them to provide a service. Ambulance Victoria is not involved in this process and has no visibility over quotes provided by Patient Transport providers.