TRIPS to hospital appointments will be made easier for patients with mobility problems thanks to a campaign led by a Yate-based community travel group.

Green Community Travel, based on North Road, had appealed to North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead Hospital, to install a dedicated bay outside the main entrance of the new hospital building specifically for community travel schemes.

Volunteer drivers from the group have previously struggled to drop passengers, many of whom are frail, elderly or have disabilities and mobility needs, near the main entrance and have had to drive round the hospital grounds until they could find a parking space.

Although a dedicated bay has been deemed unviable by the trust, the group is welcoming a pledge for hospital marshals to be on hand to greet community bus passengers and ensure a space outside the main entrance is available.

Green Community Travel manager Jenny Bright said: “We are thrilled to have a solution that we think will make things much easier for our passengers and our voluntary drivers.

“We are really pleased and think it will be a great success.”

The new scheme involves a new system where booked arrivals are notified in advance to the hospital’s transport team. A space is then reserved for the arrival with marshals vailable to assistance passengers if required.

Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall, who lent his support to the campaign, said the new arrangements would mean a ‘positive solution’ for drivers and passengers. Mr Hall, himself a volunteer for the travel organisation, said: “I am extremely pleased that a solution has been found to the problems and hope it will go on to really help volunteers as they provide a valued service to residents.

“It’s important to me that when I see a group like Green Community Travel that does such good for our area it gets the full support it needs..”

The changes come after NHS trust chief executive Andrea Young took a trip on one of the green buses from Yate to Southmead in November, accompanied by staff and Mr Hall.

Ms Young said: “We want people to have a good experience getting to Southmead and if we can help improve that experience then we will.”

She said the second phase of development at Southmead, which opened its doors as the region’s main acute hospital in May 2014, would be completed in May 2016 and would provide more space outside the main entrance. However, the works meant a designated bay for community buses was not a viable option.