Local volunteers drive GPs in iconic rented black taxis to essential home visits

Local volunteers have stepped up to help drive clinicians in iconic black taxis to home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative was launched by local GP federation Alliance for Better Care (ABC), who have rented black cabs to provide essential transport for clinicians attending patients’ homes.  

The taxis, which have been adapted to make them easier to clean, are driven by volunteer drivers who have come forward via various community Facebook groups. Thanks to the layout of the cab, drivers are completely separated from the clinician who is also afforded extra space in the cab to put on PPE and write up notes.  

Matt Cullis, Practice Manager at Leacroft Medical Practice, said: “Our surgery is still open to treat patients, however, home visits have become particularly important for those who are shielding and not wanting to leave their homes. This service saves us time and allows our doctors to travel to appointments in an environment that can be easily cleaned and has room to put on PPE.”

Alliance for Better Care is the GP federation for Crawley, Horsham, Mid-Sussex and East Surrey, and so far the project has been rolled out at Leacroft Surgery in Crawley and throughout Burgess Hill, with plans to extend it to East Grinstead and Horley in the coming weeks.

Katherine Saunders, ABC Chief Executive, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the number of volunteers who have come forward and we’d like to thank them all for offering to support this service. We are, of course, committed to protecting both our volunteers and our clinicians. We insure drivers and carry out all necessary checks while also providing PPE. This is a valuable resource for our clinicians, and increases our capacity to reach more patients.”

Image credit: Alliance for Better Care