Outpatient and clinic appointments
Tell us the time of the appointment and which department you are heading to. Raleigh
Park is a large site and the nearest entrance to Fern Ward is not the nearest entrance
to the Seamoor Unit, so knowing where you are going lets the driver drop you at the
right door rather than at the main entrance and a long walk. If you would rather be
collected afterwards, book the return at the same time and call when you are done
— clinics overrun, and we would rather hold the booking loosely than have you
waiting outside.
Discharges and day surgery
Being discharged is the journey people most often get caught out by, because the time
is never known in advance. Call us when the ward gives you the nod and we will come
then. If you are collecting prescriptions from the pharmacy on the way out, say so and
the driver will wait rather than charging you for two separate journeys. After a
procedure, tell us if you need help to the door — the driver will allow time
for it instead of rushing off to the next job.
Visiting hours
Parking at Raleigh Park is the usual complaint from visitors, particularly in the
afternoon visiting window when the car parks fill. A taxi in and out removes that
problem entirely, and for two or three people sharing it often costs little more than
the parking would have. We cover visiting runs from across Barnstaple and from the
surrounding towns.
Hospital staff and shift changes
A significant share of our night work is hospital staff going on and off shift, when
the buses have long stopped. If you work a regular pattern we can set up a standing
booking so you are not re-explaining it every week, and account billing if you would
rather not pay in the car each time.
Coming from outside Barnstaple
North Devon District Hospital serves the whole district, so a good deal of this work
starts elsewhere: Bideford and the Torridge villages, Ilfracombe and the north coast,
Braunton, South Molton and the Exmoor edge. Those are longer runs where the fixed fare
matters most, and where booking the day before is worth doing for an early clinic.
