Urgent medical appointments

The protocol covers all urgent NHS medical appointments which customers have been notified to attend in three weeks or less before the appointment date.

The protocol also covers customers who have been discharged from hospital and are returning home.

All island residents are eligible to use the protocol if they meet the eligibility criteria.

No – the protocol covers NHS appointments and NHS hospital stays. Private appointments and stays are not covered.

The protocol covers all bookable routes on our network. You can view a list of these routes here.

Find out more about our Turn up and Go routes.

No. We do not need to see any documentation confirming the medical appointment and no one at Caledonian MacBrayne will ask to see this.

No. The protocol can only be used if there’s no availability to book your vehicle on a specific sailing.

Follow the normal booking process to arrange travel.

If there is no availability to book your vehicle on a specific sailing, please call the Customer Engagement Centre on 0800 066 5000 and we will be able to advise you on the correct procedure.

We need your information before we can confirm that you will be able to be re-imbursed for your taxi costs.

If the requested sailing is full for vehicles and there are no alternative sailings, customers will be supported to book as a foot passenger. Our team will then book a taxi for customers for any taxi company in the relevant area that have an account on our system.

If there is no taxi company on account, *customers will then have to arrange their own transport from the ferry terminal to the NHS location, and then back to the ferry terminal. (*Customers need to pay for the taxi and keep their receipts but they will be able to claim this cost back from Caledonian MacBrayne.)

If they are returning from hospital after being discharged, customers will arrange their own transport from the ferry terminal to their home.

Yes. National Entitlement Cards can be used as well as Companion Entitlement, where applicable.

If you would usually qualify for a concession on travel, you can still use this when arranging travel through the urgent medical appointment protocol. Find out more about concession arrangements across the network.

First step is to contact the Customer Engagement Centre.

We will then try to get a booking for you. If the requested sailing is full for vehicles and there are no alternative sailings, customers will be supported to book as a foot passenger. Our team will then book a taxi for customers for any taxi company in the relevant area that have an account on our system. If there is no taxi company on account, *customers will then have to arrange their own transport from the ferry terminal to the NHS location, and then back to the ferry terminal. *Customers need to pay for the taxi and keep their receipts but they will be able to claim this cost back from Caledonian MacBrayne. If they are returning from hospital after being discharged, customers will arrange their own transport from the ferry terminal to their home.

Once all options are exhausted, we will add your details to a list of customers who we have confirmed can claim back the taxi costs.

We will need your name, appointment date, NHS appointment location, contact telephone number and email address.

You can then book and pay for your taxi and return the receipts to our Customer Engagement Centre with a covering letter.

Please send this to:

Customer Engagement Centre, Caledonian MacBrayne, The Ferry Terminal, Gourock, PA19 1QP

We’ll then contact you to complete the payment process.

Mainland and inter-island ports and NHS locations are the only pick-up and drop-off locations covered under the urgent medical appointment protocol.

View the list of ports Caledonian MacBrayne sails to and from.

No, the protocol only covers the cost of direct transport to the NHS location and back to the ferry terminal.

No. The protocol is available to passengers who are unable to book their vehicle on a specific sailing.

If you need to arrange patient transport, you can contact the Scottish Ambulance Service for more information on how they can assist you.

No, unfortunately the protocol cannot be used for this. It’s only available to support customers travelling for their own medical appointment.

Please follow the normal booking process to book your travel, or ask someone to do so on your behalf.

If there’s no availability to book your vehicle on a specific sailing, please call the Customer Engagement Centre and we will be able to advise you on the correct procedure.

We will also need your information before we can confirm you will be reimbursed for any taxi costs.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept responsibility for ensuring connection times are met with sailings. If you are late in leaving your appointment, please call the Customer Engagement Centre and one of our team will assist you.

If you arrive at the port office late, please speak to one of the port staff who will help you.

No, we cannot provide overnight accommodation as part of the protocol, or if the return sailing is missed.

Please telephone our Customer Engagement Centre to let them know – they will then cancel your transport booking(s) / will remove your details from the list of customers entitled to claim taxi costs.