The Department for Transport (DfT) has plans to work with councils to improve engagement with NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) under its total transport programme.
Ministers allocated £7.6m in 2015 to 37 total transport pilots, designed to provide a local cross sector approach to the delivery of supported public road passenger transport services in more isolated areas.
Speaking at a recent Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) event, Steve Blackmore, head of partnerships, competition and ticketing policy at the DfT said the pilots had demonstrated effective pooling of resources.
By removing duplication and reducing competition for the same local funding, a number of schemes found real cost efficiencies he told the audience.
This prompted the department’s plans to engage more closely with CCGs. Transport Network understands that if the pilot programme was to be extended the department would focus on urban areas this time.
When the DfT first announced the pilot programme in 2015, it earmarked a £4m pot, which was then increased due to the size and quality of the bids.
DfT officials admitted at the time that ‘service integration has not been attempted on any scale up to now, so the essential first step is for local authorities to work out how to go about it’.
Andrew Hugill, director of policy and technical affairs, CIHT said: ‘CIHT has supported this initiative and these pilot schemes have given us a real insight into some of the innovative thinking going on in our industry.
'One of the key benefits from this pilot has been in showing how important it is to communicate and collaborate with local partners in the delivery of transport.
‘There are real advantages for transport providers that could lead to significant efficiencies in the way services are provided at the local level. The schemes reporting back have also shown an improved level of customer service for the end users.’
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