You may be able to claim a refund under the 'Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme' (HTCS) of the cost of travelling to hospital or other NHS premises for NHS-funded treatment or diagnostic test arranged by a doctor or dentist.
To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet three conditions:
- At the time of your appointment, you or your partner (including civil partners) must be receiving one of the qualifying benefits or allowances, or meet the eligibility criteria of the NHS Low Income Scheme.
- Your journey must be made to receive NHS-funded non-primary medical or non-primary dental care services, to which you have been referred to by a GP, dentist or hospital consultant.
- For referrals made by a primary practitioner such a GP or dentist, the service must be provided on a different day and in premises other than those occupied by the practitioner who made the referral.
You can claim travel costs for your children if 2 or 3 above applies to them and you are in group 1 above at the time of the appointment. Any young person aged 16 or over may make their own LIS claim – there is more information in leaflet HC11- Help with health costs (PDF, 420 kb).
Note: PCTs will cease to exist from 1 April 2013. Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) will then make payments previously undertaken by PCTs. If you have been referred by a primary care practitioner to a public health organisation other than a trust or foundation trust then claims have to be sent to the relevant CCG.
You can claim travel costs for an escort, if your doctor, dentist or consultant says that for medical reasons you need someone to travel with you.
You cannot claim help with travel costs, if
- you are visiting someone in hospital. However, visitors in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits may be able to receive assistance in the form of a Social Fund payment. Further information about this assistance can be obtained from Jobcentre Plus offices
- you are visiting your local GP or dentist for routine primary care services, such as check-ups, vaccinations, cervical cancer screening or minor surgery, as these are excluded from the scheme. Urgent primary care services during the out of hour periods (i.e. between 6.30pm and 8.00pm weekdays, at weekends or on bank holidays) are also excluded.
