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More about travelling to our hospitals

Travelling to our hospital sites

Picture of Hemel Hemptead Hospital, Verulam Wing. It's a sunny day

Our services are based across Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and Watford. Please take time to check any correspondence you receive about where on our three hospital sites your appointment or visit is going to be.

Travelling to our sites

Information specific to each site can be found below:

watfordTravel App

The travelWatford app is a journey planner that covers Watford, and areas across Hertfordshire and beyond. It provides live information for buses and trains, and information on taxis, cycling, walking and driving and may be useful when planning your journey to hospital.

Click here for more information

Public Transport

ArrivaClick

Another convenient way to get to Watford hospital is ArrivaClick which is a flexible, on-demand bus service, that unlike others does not follow a fixed route at fixed times. By using the stop ‘Watford General internal’ it will drop you off outside the main building.

Subsidised by Watford Borough Council, the service delivers a cost-efficient mode of transport (priced between a bus and taxi fare), which can be booked and paid for via a free smartphone app on www.watford.gov.uk/arrivaclick.

Customers can book from the comfort of their home and the service, responding to demand from passengers and the routes they want to take, will pick you up from a ‘virtual stop’ close to your starting point.

The buses will operate across the borough and to Warner Brother Studios and Croxley Park. Each bus will have comfortable seating, tables, free Wi-Fi, USB chargers and air conditioning. The operating times are - Monday to Thursday: 6am - 10pm, Friday and Saturday: 6am - 11pm and Sunday: 8am - 9pm. The service is accessible, DDA compliant and family friendly, with spaces or wheelchairs, pushchairs and prams.

Journey prices range from £1 to £2.50 per mile depending on the time of day and further discounts are available to regular users via weekly passes and credit bundles. To contact ArrivaClick, please :email: arrivaclickenquiries@arriva.co.uk or call 0345 501 0000.

Further information is available here.

Community Transport

There are a number of community groups that provide car schemes and have volunteer drivers who can take people to hospital for their appointments.

Different schemes serve different areas and have specific criteria for users. Most do not charge, but appreciate a donation towards costs.

To find a scheme that can help you, contact the numbers below:

Residents of Dacorum

Telephone: 01442 212888
Email: ctadmin@communityactiondacorum.or.uk

Residents of Hertsmere and St Albans

Telephone: 020 8207 5055
Email: travel@communities1st.org.uk

Residents of Watford and Three Rivers

Telephone: 01923 216955
Email: communitycares@w3rt.org

Could you be a volunteer driver?

Volunteering is a great way to become involved in your community. Schemes need help to take people to health appointments, local activities and shopping.

Some drivers have regular days, others help on an ad hoc basis so there’s lots of flexibility to work around other things you do. Many drivers say they enjoy meeting their passengers and find it’s a rewarding way to give their time.

To volunteer as a driver in your area, see details below:

Hertsmere and St Albans Telephone: 01727 634877
Email: volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Dacorum Telephone: 01442 212888
Email: ctadmin@communityactiondacorum.org.uk

Watford and Three Rivers Telephone: 01923 216950
Email: enquiries@w3rt.org

East of England Ambulance Service - non-emergency patient transport

The East of England Ambulance Service provides non-emergency patient transport services in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Luton.

To find out if you are eligible for patient transport, or to make a booking, please call
01245 444584.

The contact centre is open from 6 am to 10 pm, 7 days-a-week, with an answerphone operating outside of these times.

See here for more information

Community Transport Hertfordshire

There are lots of other smaller community transport schemes, see the Hertfordshire County Council website for more information.

Cycling

We have facilities at all three hospital sites for staff and patients who choose to cycle.

Check cycle routes here.

Beryl bikes

In Watford you can hire a Beryl bike. Use the app to hire one of 300 Beryl bikes in 72 Beryl bays.

Payment options include:

See here for further information.

See the list of all the current Beryl bike bays in Watford.

Walking

You may prefer to travel to your hospital visit on foot. Each of our hospital sites has suggested walking routes that take into account clear routes and street furniture to make sure they are suitable for wheelchair users and visitors with buggies and pushchairs.

Help with travel costs

You may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) if you're referred to hospital for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by your doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional. For more information, including eligibility and how to claim, please click here.

Driving and parking

If you're arriving by car, you will find information about which entrances to use and where to park when you arrive when you arrive in information about our sites. Information about charges, concessions and parking at all our sites can be found here.