Introduction
Students who use their own vehicle to travel to placements are responsible for ensuring that they have the following:
- Appropriate insurance
- Valid MOT
- Valid licence
- Valid car tax
Insurance Cover Information
Students must ensure that they have adequate insurance cover for travel to and from placement so that no liability is placed on the University or any placement provider (including the NHS and local authorities).
Students must check with their insurance company that they have adequate cover for the following:
- to use their own car and drive to their place of study. This should include driving to a placement that is not their normal place of study and, where necessary, between different placement settings;
- to use their own car during placement in order to visit and treat patients/clients in their own home, which can entail carrying a small bag with equipment/dressings in;
- carrying other students.
Students must also ensure that their insurance cover is not invalidated by the receipt of a contribution towards travel costs or by carrying passengers if they are intending to claim for expenses via the NHS Learning Support Fund (more details can be found in the next section NHS Learning Support Fund Information)
Use of Hire Cars
USE OF HIRE CARS
The NHS Business Services Authority guidance states;
“Students are expected to travel by the cheapest form of transport available where it is reasonably practical to do so.”
In some instances, students can claim for the use of a hire car. This generally covers instances where:
- public transport is not available due to the location of the placement, or
- due to shift work making the use of public transport impossible, or
- a car is required for community travel within the working day, and you are unable to share with an educator.
Students should visit the NHS Business Services website to check what costs can be claimed.