Questions and answers to some common queries about our service. If you have additional questions not listed below, our Help Desk is available to assist at 1-800-768-0044.
Regular hours are from 6:00am to midnight every day. Pre-booked service is available during non-operational times at a 30% premium that also applies on Sundays and statutory holidays, between 6:00am and midnight.
We operate throughout British Columbia’s Lower Mainland from Pemberton to Hope, and also regularly transport patients to Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and the Interior. We can transfer a patient anywhere within a one day drive from Vancouver, including into Washington, USA.
The organization was established in 2003 in British Columbia. We are the leading provider of patient transfer services (PTS) in Western Canada, with over 260 employees and a custom-built fleet of over 150 ambulances, buses, and minivans. Our leaders have been involved in patient transfer services for over 25 years, and were instrumental in introducing PTS to the National Health Service in the UK.
All of our field crews including Drivers and Care Attendants must successfully complete our comprehensive two week patient transfer training curriculum. Every employee is also qualified in First Aid & CPR, ranging in levels from Occupational First Aid to Advanced Care Paramedic, and many of our crews have previous experience as Nurses and Care Aides. Regular refresher training ensures crews are kept up-to-date on new processes, procedures, and technology.
Yes, we are a bed-to-bed service and do not leave patients outside. We will pick up the patient from the unit, and if the patient is going to a clinic on the 10th floor of a hospital, we will escort the patient to the 10th floor and pick up from there for the return trip.
Yes, a medical escort or family member can accompany a patient without any additional charge. See also “How can I prepare to be a medical escort?” or “What should I expect as a family member escort?” below for more information.
Yes. Typically we advise that if the treatment is going to take longer than 30 minutes, we will return when the appointment is finished. If waiting for a period of more than 15 minutes for a wheelchair patient, or 30 minutes for a stretcher patient, additional wait time charges will be applied.
Ideally we prefer to have all patient transfer bookings made the day prior to an appointment, as this helps make sure an appropriately equipped vehicle will be available at the scheduled time . We can accommodate same-day bookings, however, pre-booked appointments will always take priority. Appointments can be made one day, or even two months, in advance. Please note: all private patient bookings require a minimum of 24 hours notice.
Bookings should be made as soon as it is known the transfer will be required or an appointment is made. Pre-booked appointments are always given priority over same-day requests. If a transfer is booked online, an email confirmation to retain in the patient’s file will be sent to the email address provided.
Yes, you can change any part of the booking. Most will book an estimated return time from an appointment. When we take the patient into an appointment, the crew will ask for an approximate return time and leave contact details with reception. Should your appointment continue past the booking time or if you are ready earlier, reception will call us directly.
No, you will not be charged if it is more than 45 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time. If less than 45 minutes, you will only be charged the basic minimum local rate.
For BC residents, the same criteria applies to journeys with Hospital Transfers as it does to a transfer with BC Ambulance, but at a lower cost. When booked by a Health Authority, if the journey is not between one acute hospital and another, a BC Ambulance transfer is subject to a subsidized Ministry of Health mandated user fee of $80, regardless of the time or distance. Any person on Income Assistance or MSP Premium Assistance (Supplementary Benefits) is automatically exempt. The same requirement applies to Hospital Transfers, except a lower fee of $50 would be applied, in which case an invoice would be sent approximately 3-4 weeks after the journey. Please note that Transfers from the community including private pay transfers are not eligible for the subsidized Ministry of Health mandated user fee of $50, and would be charged at the current regular rate.
You will be provided with a 2 hour pick up window (example: between 10:00 – 12:00). Please have the patient ready for pick up at 10:00, as the crew may arrive any time within this period. If any further delays are expected, your unit will receive a phone call.
The Patient should be dressed, packed, and ready to leave upon their arrival. The patient’s belongings and all bags should be packed, IVs should be removed (if they are going home), and any paperwork should be ready.
Please ensure to bring the patient’s chart, as well as medications and other medical equipment or supplies you may need during the entire journey, including during an appointment and return. Our crews will be responsible for safely handling and transferring the patient from the pick up to the drop off and may be able to assist you with other requests. Our crews are trained at the level of Occupational First Aid and are not permitted to provide medical care beyond this scope.
Any oxygen, suction device, or other medical equipment must be provided by the unit at the time of the patient’s pick up. If oxygen is required during the journey, our crews will ask for oxygen and will safely secure it along with the patient. Oxygen tanks will be returned to the pick up location or an appropriate facility if necessary. Other equipment such as suction devices are the responsibility of medical escorts.
Please provide information at the time of booking, if a medical escort will be bringing additional equipment requiring power, such as an IV Pump, as this will allow us to ensure the appropriate vehicle with power available is dispatched for the transfer.
Typically a family member can accompany a patient without any additional charge, if there is sufficient room in the vehicle. If a medical escort is also accompanying your family member, there may not be sufficient room for additional passengers. See also “What should I expect as a family member escort?” below for more information.
Please ensure to bring paperwork as well as medications or anything else that your family member may need during the entire journey, including during an appointment and return. As our crews will be responsible for safely handling and transferring your family member, you must be able to accompany them with little assistance. Our crews will do their best to assist you with any requests during the journey.
Unfortunately, our crews must take you or your family member directly from the pick up location to the drop off location. We are unable to make extra stops to pick up prescriptions or run errands, unless these instructions have been provided and approved by the medical facility that booked the transfer.
Hospital Transfers operates from Hope to Pemberton, and we would like to recognize that we transfer patients on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), QayQayt, Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, and Stó:lō Nations. We would like to acknowledge any other unceded territories that we complete patient transfers on or conduct business in, as well as their neighbours. We thank these communities for allowing us to work on their unceded lands.
Hospital Transfers provides wheelchair transfer, stretcher transfer, ambulatory transfer, family escort, and medical escort services for both Health Authority and private clients. Our help desk is available from 6:00am to midnight 7 days a week.
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