Patients who misuse non-emergency ambulances to avoid paying bus fares are being targeted in a bid to make sure the vehicles are available for those who need them.

Health bosses in Primary Care Trusts throughout West Yorkshire are reminding GPs, hospital staff and patients of the criteria for when patient transport should be used.

They are targeting patients who could make their own way to hospital but still call on the free service to pick them up from home.

Patient journeys across the Bradford district cost the NHS more than £1.8m a year and £13m across West Yorkshire.

Concern is growing that the ambulance service is being forced to turn away patients who need to use the NHS home-to-hospital service because capacity is being reduced by patients using it inappropriately.

Department of Health guidelines state patients are eligible to use patient transport if their medical problems would be made worse if they used another means of transport.

Helen Thornton, head of transport contracts at NHS Bradford and Airedale, said: “We believe reminding people of the eligibility guidelines is the best way to improve the patient transport service for everyone.

“Removing people who are not eligible to use it should help reduce delays for others. This is not about cuts to funding but looking at how to make it more efficient.

“We are concerned about patients who take up seats on NHS transport to avoid paying bus fares."