Wish Ambulance Scotland

Serious illness can do more than restrict mobility: it can separate people receiving end of life care from the relationships and places that give life meaning. A visit home, time by the sea, a family occasion or a place of worship may fall outside ordinary patient transport, yet still be profoundly important and out of reach when someone needs a stretcher, specialist wheelchair or clinical support that ordinary transport cannot safely provide. Wish Ambulance Scotland is developing a free, planned, non-emergency and clinically supported Wish Journey service to bridge the gap between essential healthcare, ordinary transport and social connection. Each future journey will be personally chosen and carefully coordinated around the person’s wishes, comfort, safety and clinical needs, working alongside their existing care team. The service is intended to complement, not replace, NHS patient transport, treatment or existing care. We will judge impact by whether a journey enables a meaningful connection or personal choice that would otherwise have been out of reach, not simply by its distance or destination. Safe support is also intended to allow relatives and carers to spend time as family rather than managing complex transport and care logistics. The service is not yet operational and referrals are not yet open. Donations now contribute towards the foundations required for a responsible launch, including clinical governance, safeguarding, vehicle and equipment readiness, specialist insurance, volunteer recruitment and competency assessment, secure referral and case-management systems, and future operating costs. Referrals will open only after trustees approve the required clinical, safeguarding, insurance, data protection, equipment, vehicle and operational arrangements.