By David Messum, Chair of Leighton Linslade Health Provision Group.

Whilst we campaign for more Health Facilities closer to our town, members of our community provide a vital service for patients without a car or the option of a direct public transport link.

Leighton Buzzard Voluntary Patient Transport (LBVPT ) is an organisation run solely by unpaid volunteers taking vulnerable people to local hospitals in the Beds and Bucks area.

We originally took people to L and D Stoke Mandeville and Milton Keynes Hospital but now take people as far away as Wycombe, Amersham and Bedford covering over 45 NHS facilities. We collect people from the majority of LU7 postcodes.

In September 2025 we took 173 bookings to 15 different locations. We will take around 2000 bookings in 2025.

The procedure for people needing transport is to contact our duty call handler by phone, text or email giving as much notice as possible.

Once they are on our database we have on record clients details. After receiving appointment requests we contact an available driver and when the volunteer confirms we contact the patient. The day before the driver will ring the client and agree final arrangements.

On the day of the appointment the driver will pick up the patient from there home and take them to the hospital and either leave them at the drop off zone or, for patients with mobility issues, park up and accompany them to either reception or the relevant department.

After the appointment the driver will collect them from the agreed point and deliver them home safely.

We survive on voluntary donations which are from £15 return depending on location. We have no funding, no office thus small overheads and together with the generosity of our volunteers we are a fraction of the price of a taxi. We also pay for parking where required.

We welcome new Volunteers both drivers and call-handlers and even a few hours a week at times to suit would be welcome.

We currently have a team of 40 volunteers carrying out driving and administration. However the demand for our services is ever increasing and after 8 years helping out our community sadly several of our volunteers have had to give up due to health issues.

More volunteers would ease the workload and allow us to expand our operations. Anyone interested please contact us as below.

Any vulnerable person, relative, neighbour or friend that requires transport to local hospitals please also contact us below:

Telephone or text 07873497633 ( please leave a message)

Email [email protected]