A client phones the Corsham Link phone number which will be answered by one of a number of duty coordinators which are assigned by our Lead Coordinator on a rotational basis. On a few occasions a request is made by email; an automated response will invite the client to phone the Link number during working hours (0900-1700 Monday to Friday except bank holidays). There will be a coordinator on duty at weekends who will not answer the phone but will monitor voicemails in order to react to last minute cancellations or sick clients/drivers. They will not respond to new appointment requests. Please refrain from ringing outside working hours.

Clients normally phone to request a driver as soon as they receive their appointment; this may be two months out or more usually the week before. In extremis we can react to appointments the next day but with no guarantee we will find a driver. Even if an appointment is months away, a driver will not be allocated until the week before. It may be felt that getting in early should afford some degree of priority to the allocation of a driver; unfortunately this may not always the case as the availability of drivers, their constraints, the particular needs of individual clients and the specific location of the appointment means that our coordinators have to juggle multiple considerations in the allocation. This may result in someone phoning in a request yesterday will get a driver, whilst a “booked 2 months ago” request does not. Please respect and trust the process; we find drivers for 95% of requests.

We utilise multiple methods to find a driver. The main method is a WhatsApp broadcast to all drivers several times a day. This is supplemented by drivers ringing in or messaging via WhatsApp weekly and providing availability for the week ahead, or ringing in to see what appointments are in the diary that they might be free to do. Coordinators also directly contact individual drivers by WhatsApp or telephone based on the previously provided availability.

Once a DBS checked driver has volunteered to take a particular client to their appointment, the coordinator will pass their details to the driver. The driver will then contact the client at least 24 hours before the appointment but more usually 2-3 days before to arrange pick up details. There is a balance to be struck; a client with dementia may forget if rung too early, a nervous client might need early reassurance that a driver has been allocated.

We may need to consider client sharing to ensure we meet the majority of the requests. This may mean that a client will need to be picked up earlier than needed and another may have to wait around until the other has finished their appointment. Please support this.

Link owns 3 wheelchairs and if a client requests one, the allocated driver must pick it up from one of our volunteers garage. Clients can use their own wheelchairs or utilise those provided by certain hospitals. Not all drivers are willing or able to push wheelchairs and clients may need to bring a companion to assist. In addition some of the smaller cars will not fit them.

If a driver is not found for a particular client, the duty coordinator will phone at the latest lunchtime the day before the appointment in order to allow some time for the client to make alternative arrangements. There is no need to chase up a request; A driver or coordinator will ring the client closer to the time of the appointment.

If an appointment is cancelled the client must remember to phone Link to cancel the driver.

On the day of the appointment the driver will offer the client a brown envelope for a voluntary (and anonymous) donation. Whilst there is no set amount a client should give, we pay our drivers 55p a mile so there is an identifiable cost to us of delivering our service. Envelopes should be sealed and handed back to the driver who will hand it in with his claim form for our treasurer to pay him for his mileage. Payment runs are made every two weeks.

Drivers may also hand the client:

• A leaflet advertising Corsham Connections, a sister Charity who connect lonely residents with volunteers who will meet them in a safe space away from their home for social interaction.
• A “new client leaflet” which provides clients the briefest of information about our service.

New supplies of claim forms, brown envelopes and leaflets are delivered to drivers by one of our volunteers after the payment run.

Please note:

• Our volunteers and clients are humans; please treat them with respect
• Our 38 drivers, 7 coordinators and over 450 clients are all individuals who react differently in different scenarios; please be tolerant
• Our drivers have 38 different vehicles of all shapes and sizes; not all can fit wheelchairs or large walkers. Some of our drivers prefer long distances, some prefer short distance and some will not go to Bristol. Respect our coordinators ability to juggle.

Link provides a service for those who struggle to use public transport or who do not have friends, neighbours or relatives who can help - they should be asked first. We offer a last resort if all other options fail to get you to your appointment.

We ask only for a voluntary contribution towards the drivers expenses (currently 55p per mile) to help cover the cost of the journey to the charity. The driver will provide you with an envelope in which you will be asked to make an anonymous contribution. Some indicative costs to the charity for the round trip are:

• Royal United Hospital, Bath - £12-£15
• Bristol Royal Infirmary - £33-£38
• Great Western Hospital, Swindon - £29-£34
• (The actual cost to Link varies depending on where the driver lives and the distance to the pickup.)

Walking aids shouldn't be a problem. Link clients need to be able to get to and from the Link car and to get into and out of it by themselves. If they cannot manage this, they will need to make the co-ordinator aware at the time of booking and may need to bring someone to help them. Some LINK drivers feel able to lift chairs or walkers in and out of their car and others may choose not to. When you talk to the co-ordinator about your needs they will take this into account before allocating a driver, if one is available. Link has wheelchairs that are available to borrow if the client does not have one of their own and needs to use one.

We try our best to arrange journeys for everyone however, we cannot guarantee that there will be a driver available to you on the time and date you need us. If Link is unsuitable for you due to mobility issues the co-ordinator will provide you with details of the Patient Transport Service, which is specially equipped and trained to help such clients.

All of our drivers carry an identification badge bearing their name and photograph. A client is normally allocated a driver the week before an appointment and that driver should contact the client to arrange a pick up time at least 3 days before the appointment to minimise any client anxiety. You can also call us and we can help to verify their identity if you are still unsure.

You can call us on 07884 887105 (weekdays from 09:00 until 17:00) and tell us the time, place and date of your appointment so we can arrange a driver to come and collect you. Please give as much notice as possible so that we can make the appropriate arrangements ahead of time. It would also be helpful if you could give some idea how long the appointment is likely to last to help with driver planning. Outside of normal working hours you can leave a message in an emergency, and the duty co-ordinator will respond as appropriate.
Please look at our "Clients" page for more information.

You can call us on 07884 887105 (weekdays from 09:00 until 17:00) or leave a message to let the duty co-ordinator know that you no longer need our services. Please try to do this at your earliest convenience so that we can avoid unnecessary journeys for our drivers.

We have a number of policies to cover how we operate, these include:-

• Data Protection Policy and Procedures
• Risk Management Assessment
• Safeguarding and Vulnerable Adults Policy

We will be making them available online shortly, but in the meantime please contact the duty coordinator if you would like a copy.

We aim to provide a quality service. In addition all clients and volunteers deserve to be treated with respect.

• If you are a client and you are not satisfied with the service provided, or
• If you are a client or volunteer and wish to make any other complaint about behaviours

Please use the following guidelines to make your complaint:

• If the complaint is about a driver, in the first instance contact the Duty Coordinator to discuss the issue and resolve it if possible. The coordinator will record the complaint and the solution, if it has been possible to reach one, and will pass the details on to the Chairman. If it has not been possible to resolve the issue on an informal basis the Chairman may wish to telephone or arrange meetings with all parties concerned to confirm the details of the complaint, take the views of all concerned, and try to resolve it more formally. The Chairman may consult Community First.
• If the complaint is about a coordinator, then the initial complaint may be made direct to the Chairman.
• If the complaint is about the Chairman, then the initial complaint may be made to any other trustee.
• If you have a complaint please fill in this form and "Send" it.

Complaints of a serious nature are rare and need to be dealt with quickly, effectively and sensitively. Any complaint that alleges abusive, emotional, physical or sexual behaviour should be notified to the Chairman, acting as Safeguarding Officer, as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours.
Once the issue is resolved you will receive a written record of the original complaint and the outcome unless you do not require this. Unless you are advised otherwise the complaint will be dealt with within 7 working days.
If you feel that your complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily please contact:
Community Development Officer, Community First, Unit C2, Beacon Business Centre, Hopton Park, Devizes, SN10 2EY    Tel. 01380 732825

Traditionally you arrange a visit by talking to the duty co-ordinator to find out if we can help you. They will take down the relevant information and try to match it with a drivers availability. Your details were logged in case you needed the service again in the future. We are in the process of transferring all this data onto an electronic system the "Wilts Link Database System". If you would like some more information please look at the "Clients" section on the tabs above. Clients are asked to ring the Duty Coordinator initially, to find out if we are able to assist them. When, on the rare occasion, a client has extreme difficulty in using a telephone they can email the Duty Coordinator on dutycoordinatorcorsham-link@gmail.com.

We try to meet all our requests for transport. On an average week we have over 50 requests to fill. On one particularly bad Tuesday in October 2026 we had 18 appointments. Three cancelled meaning we still had to find 15 drivers potentially. Due to some constructive "doubling up" we managed to meet the demands of 12 clients with 10 drivers.
This meant we had to let 3 clients down with "no driver available."
We never like to let clients down but our success rate can be dictated by the number of appointments, the available drivers on any particular day, whether a client is willing to share, the specific locations and time of day.
No one day is the same. Past performance is not a guarantee of future success!