Health Trips
Whether you’re visiting a loved one or attending your own appointment, driving, queuing and then parking your car at the hospital can be both stressful and expensive.
Oxford’s Headington hospitals – the John Radcliffe, the Churchill and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre – are all specialist centres, meaning many patients travel considerable distances to reach them and may rely on bus and rail links from outside the city. Meanwhile, within Oxford, according to the Office for National Statistics, nearly a third of households don’t have a car or van, making it even more important we have efficient and affordable alternatives.
The hospitals and the bus companies are currently working together to provide new and improved bus connections to all the main Headington hospital sites. Since May 2025 the H2 service from Witney to the John Radcliffe has been extended to Thornhill Park and Ride, running by both the Churchill Hospital and the Nuffield, and providing new links to the East of the city from Witney, Eynsham and Oxford North. Meanwhile the redesign of other services, including the 100 and 700 means there is now a bus every 15 minutes from Blackbird Leys and Cowley to the John Radcliffe.
Catching a bus home from the hospital has also become easier and more comfortable, with the quieter, more spacious fleet of electric buses and improved information displays before you board. At the three Headington hospitals there are now real time information display screens in five reception areas – the Welcome Centre, Maternity and West Wing of the John Radcliffe, the front entrance of the Churchill Hospital and front entrance of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. Which means no more hanging around in the cold, wondering when your lift will turn up.
Wendy Cheeseman, Head of Sustainability at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says the issue was first brought home to her when she was actually helping a patient: “Lots of patients can’t see well because they have drops in their eyes. It was throwing it down outside, and I was trying to put a patient on the right bus home. I thought: you need to be able to stay in the warm and see when the bus is coming.” The trust initially struggled to find funds for display screens, but the county council were able to help, with money earmarked for bus improvements. Wendy says these have quickly proved their worth: “They are fantastic. Every time I go past there’s people looking at them.” The Trust is also distributing a new Bus Connections leaflet in hospital reception areas because, as Wendy explains, many patients still ask for printed information they can carry in a bag or a pocket.
Having a helpful bus driver, who is trained to understand the needs of disabled passengers, can transform your experience of any journey. Julie, a retired researcher, found that when she broke her ankle, travelling by bus to her regular appointments at the John Radcliffe was very convenient. “The drivers were very considerate - always waiting until I was seated before starting off. There are bus stops at a few locations on the hospital site so the new on-board bus announcements helped. I did sometimes find it confusing where to wait, and when a bus was due, for the return journey home. But the Real Time Information screens for buses in the main hospital entrance will make a big difference.”
Tips for getting started
● For bus information the Oxford Bus Company’s Hospital Connections page includes travel to a variety of health facilities, and Stagecoach also offers information on its hospital services. However, neither company shows each other’s services, so use a journey planner to check your route.
● Each of the Headington hospitals offers comprehensive information about how to find them:
● Don’t forget that, as well as a £3 single fare cap in place on buses, there are also a range of other offers and reductions, including MyBus - one ticket to travel all over Oxfordshire by bus.
● If you’re travelling from outside the city, check the options for park and ride or rail. Park and ride sites at Thornhill, Redbridge and Oxford Parkway (by Oxford Parkway Rail Station) all have direct bus services to the John Radcliffe Hospital. From Oxford Rail Station, the 14 service runs every 30 minutes to the John Radcliffe.
● If you live within easy distance and your own condition doesn’t limit you, you may be able to walk to the hospital, for example, to visit a patient. The John Radcliffe Hospital is within 10 minutes walk of Headington Centre. Entrances on Osler Road, Sandfield Road, Saxon Way and Headley Way make access easy on foot from whichever direction you are coming from.
● All the Headington hospitals offer cycle parking throughout their sites as shown on site maps for the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. At the John Radcliffe there is covered cycle parking outside the Heart Centre and West Wing entrance, in Car Park 3, and under the West Wing.
● If you need to take a taxi home from the John Radcliffe, booking one couldn’t be easier. You'll find dedicated taxi telephones at all of the main entrances. Lines are free to use and will allow you to book a taxi 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
● Advice on parking at the Headington Hospitals for blue badge holders, and concessions on parking for patients who attend hospital frequently over a long period is available here. Patients with certain conditions are eligible for non-emergency hospital transport, and patients receiving benefits may be eligible for financial help with the costs of travel to hospital through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. For advice on both schemes see here. For those with no reasonable transport alternative available, Volunteer Driver Service covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire – details here.
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Sally and her mum
The bus is the only sensible way to get my 102 yr old mother in a wheelchair to and from the John Radcliffe hospital, as taxis in which you can wheel in a wheelchair are few and very expensive.
I've been particularly impressed at the kindness and caring of the bus drivers. They have to get out of the cab and put out the wheelchair ramp, which slows everything down, but they are always charming. They check my mum is in the correct position and safely wheel-locked before they drive off.
It is a brilliant service.