Help with travel costs
Hospital Travel costs scheme
If you have been referred for NHS treatment by your doctor or dentist, and receive benefits you may be eligible for help with the cost of travelling from your home address to your appointments.
Which benefits entitle you to claim travel expenses?
• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Pension Guaranteed Credit
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income Based Employment and Support Allowance
• NHS Working Tax Credit Exemption Certificate
• NHS Child Tax Credit Exemption Certificate
• Certificate for Low Income – HC2 or HC3
If you receive Universal Credit, you must present a copy of your Universal Credit award notice to prove your entitlement. You will need to have met the eligibility criteria in the last completed Universal Credit assessment period before your travel costs arose.
What documentation do you need to claim?
• Your appointment letter (or card)
• proof of entitlement
• proof of travel costs e.g. bus, tube, and train tickets.
What will be paid?
All travel costs will be calculated based on the most cost-effective form of transport from your home address to the hospital and this will usually be public transport. Travel costs paid by contactless payment or Oyster Card can be reimbursed where a list of journeys made is obtained from the TfL website. You can register your contactless payment card or Oyster card on the TfL website to enable you to obtain the travel details record.
If you have travelled by car, petrol costs are calculated on a “pence per mile” rate and again, this is based on the distance between your home address and the hospital.
Claims are accepted up to three months after the appointment date.
Can you claim for an escort?
The travelling cost for an escort will only be reimbursed if it is required on medical grounds. If you have a letter from your consultant or GP stating that you are medically unfit to travel alone, please bring a copy of this letter. This letter must be produced each time you claim and is valid for six months from the date of issue.
Unfortunately the hospital is unable to reimburse travel expenses for visitors to patients.
How can you make a claim?
You can make a claim by visiting the Cash and Banking Office in person on the Ground floor near clinic 1a at the Whittington Hospital.
Alternatively, you can email whh-tr.cashandbanking@nhs.net with these documents
- Travel Expenses Receipt
- Bank Account Details (Account Name, Account Number and Sort Code)
- Appointment Letter/Card
- Pension/Benefit document
Claims will be checked, processed and the payment will be issued by bank transfer.