FOI 25-25-283 Transport Scotland Act 2019

Freedom of Information Request

Reference
FOI 25-25-283 Transport Scotland Act 2019
Request Date
04 Jul 2025
Response Date
01 Aug 2025
Information Requested
  1. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service paid due regard to community benefit in non-emergency patient contracts, and the extent to which such contracts will improve economic, social or environmental wellbeing, to comply with its duty under Part 10, Section 120 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019? 
  2. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service worked with bodies which provide community transport services in its area in providing non-emergency patient transport services to comply with its duty under Part 10, Section 121, Subsection 1 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019? 
  3. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service reported on: • the steps it has taken to comply with these duties under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019; • the extent to which non-emergency patient transport services in its area have been effective and cost-effective; and, • further action it proposes to take to comply with these duties?
Response
  1. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service paid due regard to community benefit in non-emergency patient contracts, and the extent to which such contracts will improve economic, social or environmental wellbeing, to comply with its duty under Part 10, Section 120 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019?   

  

The Scottish Ambulance Service has embedded its obligations under Part 10, Section 120 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 through its sustainable procurement duty under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. SAS evaluates, through weighted and scored contract award criteria, how its contracts, including those for Patient Transport Services (PTS), seek to improve economic, social, and environmental wellbeing.  

   

SAS’s previously contracted PTS provider (British Red Cross) had a community benefits plan for the Scottish Ambulance Service, focusing on local recruitment, training, and volunteer engagement to boost economic development, community resilience, and employment opportunities. The plan included measurable outcomes such as local job creation, apprenticeships, staff retention, and promotion of careers in health and social care, all while ensuring fair pay through the Scottish Living Wage.  

  

  

  1. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service worked with bodies which provide community transport services in its area in providing non-emergency patient transport services to comply with its duty under Part 10, Section 121, Subsection 1 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019?   

  

SAS continues to engage with relevant stakeholders, including community transport providers and advisory bodies such as the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS), to explore collaborative models for delivering non-emergency transport. This engagement work will be built on over the coming months.  

  

  

  1. Since the legislation was legally commenced on 1 October 2023, how has the Scottish Ambulance Service reported on: • the steps it has taken to comply with these duties under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019; • the extent to which non-emergency patient transport services in its area have been effective and cost-effective; and, • further action it proposes to take to comply with these duties?  

  

The Scottish Ambulance Service has developed an internal contract management process through which the delivery of community benefit commitments will be monitored and managed. Outcomes from this process will be reported annually through the organisation’s Procurement Annual Report, in line with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 

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