Patient power has forced health bosses to reconsider a controversial ban on carers travelling in ambulances to and from hospital appointments.

Elderly and vulnerable pat-ients have had to travel alone in ambulances to appointments at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital since Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust banned escorts from its Patient Transport Service ambulances in December 2004.

But following strong opposition from patients, councillors and the wider community, the Trust is preparing to make some exceptions to the blanket ban on carers, family and friends escorting patients in a new patient transport policy being drawn up.

A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals said: "Our entire approach to patient transport is centred on one thing - putting patients first. The more seats which we can provide for patients, the faster the service can respond to their needs.

"We are always keen to listen closely to the views of everyone affected by our services which is why we set up a patient transport forum made up of patients and the public, Trust departments, the ambulance service and primary care trusts.

"In co-operation with all these groups, we have drawn up a new patient transport policy which reflects everyone's views and has been agreed in draft form by the forum. This now has to be formally adopted by the Trust Board. The new policy includes some changes to the current arrangements, which take on board people's views. We will be able to give more detail once the policy has been adopted."

The Trust has received 22 official complaints about the ban since December 2004 and more than 200 people signed a petition, organised by Bradford North Area Committee calling for the policy to be reversed.

Committee chairman councillor David Ward said: "We would welcome anything that takes into consideration the needs of the patients and the carers. It is not only patients who have suffered stress as a result of this policy. Carers have also felt unhappy and frustrated.

"I would like to thank everyone who signed the petition. The public effort is to be applauded. It's a victory for common sense and humanity. This policy has caused a lot of stress and anxiety for a lot of people."

John Wills, of Hampton Place, Idle, has been disabled since he was struck by meningitis when he was younger. He was recently told his carer, David Hey, could not accompany him on the Patient Transport Service to BRI.

"I think the ban stinks." said the 62-year-old voluntary worker. "If people are going to hospital without their carer and anything happens on the way, it falls on the ambulance driver to sort it out. This seems stupid when they could take a carer with them who knows the person, their condition and problems.

"This policy needs to be done away with and started afresh so that everyone will be able to go to hospital with a carer."

The new policy is due to be considered by the Trust's board within the next few months.