Medical repatriation: timescales and stages of road transport

The word "repatriation" brings to mind an air ambulance. In reality, the vast majority of repatriations organised by assistance providers are by road and seated : a stabilised patient, authorised to travel sitting up, who needs to be taken from hospital to their home, sometimes several hundred kilometres away. It is more a coordination exercise than a medical one — and this is the link we carry out.

Who decides what: the doctor, the assistance provider, the transport operator

• The assistance provider's regulating doctor approves the mode of transport (seated alone, seated accompanied, VSL, ambulance) based on the medical file. That doctor — and only that doctor — determines whether transport in a light vehicle such as a private-hire car is compatible with the patient's condition.
• The case manager organises the logistics: discharge date, transport operator, authorised companion, luggage.
• The transport operator (us) carries it out: suitable vehicle, briefed driver, times coordinated with the hospital department.

Seated transport by private-hire car is not approved medical transport (VSL/ambulance). It is for independent or accompanied patients with no medical need during the journey. If the patient's condition requires monitoring, a different vehicle and a different regulatory framework apply — and a good transport operator knows how to say no to a mission outside its remit.

The typical stages of a road return

• D-2 to D-1: medical approval and order. The regulating doctor gives the go-ahead for "seated" travel, and the assistance provider sends the mission to the transport operator with the case number, target discharge time and destination.
• On the day, at the hospital. The driver reports to the department (not just the car park) if the mission provides for it, helps carry luggage and settles the patient — front or rear seat according to their preference, with breaks planned on long journeys.
• During the journey. Adapted driving, air conditioning set as needed, stops every 1 h 30 to 2 h if necessary. GPS tracking lets the assistance provider — and the family — know the actual arrival time.
• On arrival. Drop-off at home, not at the kerb: accompaniment to the door and handover of luggage. The mission report goes to the assistance provider.

The real timescales to expect

The transport itself is quick to arrange: in our area (Lyon and the eastern Rhône), a mission approved in the morning can be carried out the same afternoon. What takes time is everything before that : medical approval (a few hours to a few days depending on the complexity of the case) and coordination with the discharge date set by the hospital. Advice for families: ask the hospital department for the expected discharge date as early as possible and send it to assistance without waiting for final confirmation — this allows the transport to be arranged in advance.

Why the choice of local transport operator matters

For a return from Lyon to another region, or an arrival at a station or airport to be relayed home, the local transport operator offers what no generic platform guarantees: a driver identified in advance, used to pick-ups in hospitals (HCL, Est Lyonnais private hospital…), and real timing coordination with the train or medical flight.

ONLY VTC provides seated transport on behalf of assistance providers across the Lyon metropolitan area and a wide zone (Villefranche-sur-Saône, L'Arbresle, Givors, Vienne, Bourgoin-Jallieu, Bourg-en-Bresse): hospital discharges, station/airport relays, returns home. Sedans and vans, real-time mission tracking. Our entire service is presented on the page Assistance & repatriation. Partnerships contact: contact@onlyvtc.fr.

Frequently asked questions