The partner of a man with severe breathing difficulties says she was disgusted after medical staff told him to pay for a taxi to transport him from Bishop Auckland General Hospital to Darlington for a potentially life-saving scan

Hailed as ‘another triumph of public-private partnership’, it was announced that NHS ambulance services are to be outsourced to a joint venture initiative between Arriva Bus and NextDay Couriers. Under the new 999ArrivaNextDay service, members of the public requiring hospitalisation will either be picked up from a bus stop