We are Clevedon Care

We enable people to get to and from their medical appointments in a timely, friendly and affordable manner

LATEST NEWS

10 Top Tips For Using Clevedon Care 

We are getting very busy again! Here are some tips to get the best out of Clevedon Care and make your experience easier:

1 Try not to leave it to the last moment-that is not always possible but if you can, give us a few days notice!

2 Don't try to book too far in advance-we prioritise the more immediate jobs and ask you not to approach us until you get to 14 days before your appointment.

3 If the phone is busy use the job request form here - it is just as quick and helps relieve pressure on our phones.

4 Only phone the office to request a job DURING PUBLISHED WORKING HOURS (see below for latest)-if you ring outside those hours-even if the phone system tells you your call is  in a queue -YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH because no one is there to pick up your call!

5 If you try to ring the office and the line is busy, do ring back later if your call is not urgent-we are always very busy after a weekend and public holidays!

6 Try ringing the office in the afternoon-we are open until 3pm on Monday,Wednesday and Thursday and the phones are less busy!

7 Make sure you have your hospital letter (if applicable) to hand when you call the office-we will need to know precisely when you are expected to arrive and if possible how long the appointment will take.

8 Please take your mobile phone with you to your appointment and keep the driver updated on how long the treatment will take. If you don't have a phone, ask someone at the hospital to ring the driver for you.

9 Make a note of how much the trip will cost-the duty officers will tell you-and put the correct cash in an envelope for the driver. Please don't assume that the driver will always have change! 

10 We are a voluntary organisation and depend on donations to keep going. If you feel like making a tip to drivers this will be much appreciated as it helps pay for the costs of running our office!   

 

Drivers Wanted!

 

Demand for Clevedon Care's services continues to grow year on year. Clevedon Care did nearly 20% more jobs in the first half of 2024 than we did the year before! So we desperately need new volunteer drivers to help meet this increase in demand and replace retiring volunteers. All you will need is a licence and a car. If you think you or someone you know would be interested in driving and can give as little as a day's time a month, please contact our driver coordinator. More details of what is involved and the benefits of driving for Clevedon Care can be found here. We are also keen to recruit drivers who can just take people to appointments within Clevedon.

 

New Opening Hours  

 The Clevedon Care office is operating new extended opening hours from 9.30 to 3.00pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday only on a trial basis. The office is open as usual from 9.30-12.30 on Tuesday and Friday. This change has been prompted by the increase in requests we are receiving from our clients for transport to appointments. Thanks to all our dedicated volunteers for extending their time to make this possible!

 

New Phone Set-up

 

The New Year has brought a flood of job requests which our duty officers are successfully filling.  You may find that our phone is busy, in which case your call will be held in a queue-sorry for any delay! If your job is urgent, say for the next day, it is best to hang on and speak to one of our duty officers. We have a good system for finding drivers for urgent requests. If your request is for a week or more in the future, however,  do consider calling back later or submitting a request from this website at Clevedoncare.org.uk/How-it-works/   It will be dealt with by our duty officers within 2 working days.

 

 

 

The NHS announced on 31st October that patients who have been waiting for treatment longer than 40 weeks will be offered treatment in hospitals in other areas where there may be greater capacity. If you are a patient in this category you should be contacted in the next 8 weeks by the NHS and asked if you are willing to travel for treatment 50 miles, 100 miles or nationwide.

 

Clevedon Care is committed to provide transport for people in the BS21 postal code area to receive medical treatment and will support this new scheme as much as it can. Journeys of up 2 hours travel time each way will be supported. We have a number of drivers who are willing to undertake longer journeys and we will use our best efforts to find an available driver to take you to your appointment. Depending on the distances involved and the duration of treatment, this may involve a double journey for one or two drivers and this will have an impact on the costs. The fees will be calculated for each journey based on the distance and duration and according to our standard mileage rate. Funding for clients on low incomes is available from the NHS Low Income Scheme. Please do not approach the office until you have a definite appointment.