Secure Mental Health Transport & Global Repatriation
Secure patient transport for NHS services in the UK and worldwide
Secure Mental Health Patient Transport for NHS Trusts
SkyCare provides secure mental health patient transport for NHS Trusts, secure hospitals, psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs), acute mental health wards and other specialist inpatient services that require safe, planned and professionally supervised patient transfer.
Our service is designed primarily for healthcare organisations arranging inter-hospital transfers, admissions, discharges, assessments and movements between specialist mental health facilities. Each journey is reviewed around the patient’s current presentation, legal status, clinical needs, identified risks, staffing requirements and destination before transport is confirmed.
Where appropriate, SkyCare can support transport for patients detained under the Mental Health Act, subject to the required clinical, legal and operational arrangements being in place. The emphasis throughout is on safety, dignity, discretion and proportionate supervision.
SkyCare is part of BM Ambulance Group and operates within a CQC-regulated clinical transport environment. Our operations team can coordinate planned and urgent secure transfers across London, the South East and throughout the UK, as well as international mental health repatriation where a secure patient needs to travel between countries.
For overseas cases, the transport plan may combine secure ground ambulance, commercial medical escort or dedicated air ambulance services, with bed-to-bed coordination from the referring hospital to the receiving secure or specialist mental health unit.
Important: SkyCare is not an emergency response service. For an immediate life-threatening emergency, call 999.
A Secure Transport Resource for NHS Mental Health Services
SkyCare supports NHS mental health services that require additional secure patient transport capacity for planned and time-sensitive transfers.
Typical referrals include:
- Transfers between NHS mental health hospitals and specialist units.
- Admissions to secure or specialist mental health facilities.
- PICU and acute inpatient mental health transfers.
- Planned discharge or step-down transfers where supervised transport is required.
- Transfers for specialist assessment, treatment or placement.
- Long-distance UK mental health patient transfers.
Each request is assessed individually so the transport plan reflects the patient’s presentation, clinical information, legal status, identified risks and receiving arrangements.
Risk-Assessed Secure Mental Health Transport
Secure mental health transport should never be treated as a standard patient journey. Before mobilisation, our team reviews the available information with the referring service and plans the transfer around the level of supervision and support required.
Planning can include:
- Current mental state and clinical presentation.
- Known behavioural, absconding or violence risks.
- Mental Health Act status and relevant documentation.
- Required escorting staff and level of supervision.
- Mobility, medication and physical-health considerations.
- Collection and handover arrangements at secure sites.
- Route, timing and contingency planning for longer journeys.
Our aim is to provide a calm, structured transfer with dignity maintained throughout, while giving the referring and receiving teams clear operational coordination.
Specialist Vehicles, Trained Teams and UK-Wide Coordination
SkyCare can provide specialist secure transport using appropriately configured vehicles and trained personnel for patients who require enhanced supervision during transfer.
Through BM Ambulance Group capability, secure transport resources can include purpose-built secure vehicles, discreet operating arrangements and specialist staff trained for mental health patient movement. Our secure mental health vehicles can operate without obvious ambulance livery, helping protect patient dignity and privacy while reducing unnecessary attention during collection, transfer and arrival. Where a registered mental health nurse or additional clinical support is required, this can be considered as part of the case planning and availability review.
We work directly with the referring and receiving services to confirm the patient, collection point, destination, required documentation, staffing model and handover plan before the journey proceeds.
The service is available for NHS organisations across the UK, including long-distance transfers between secure hospitals and specialist mental health units.
Global Secure Mental Health Repatriation
SkyCare can also coordinate international secure mental health patient transport when an NHS Trust, secure hospital or specialist mental health service needs to move a patient between countries.
Depending on the patient’s presentation, destination and individual risk assessment, the journey may involve a commercial medical escort, a dedicated air ambulance, specialist secure ground ambulance transport, or a combination of these services as part of a bed-to-bed plan.
Our operations team can coordinate overseas hospital liaison, clinical information, airline medical clearance where required, airport and ground transfers, specialist escort arrangements and handover to the receiving hospital or secure unit.
This allows NHS organisations to use one provider for both the international journey and the secure onward transfer in the UK. For detailed worldwide capability, see our International Mental Health Repatriation & Patient Transport service.
Information We Need for an NHS Secure Transport Request
For an efficient operational review, please provide as much of the following as is available:
- Referring NHS Trust, hospital and ward.
- Receiving hospital, secure unit or placement.
- Required transfer date and timeframe.
- Patient age, mobility and relevant physical-health needs.
- Current mental health presentation and known transport risks.
- Mental Health Act status and relevant legal documentation.
- Required clinical or mental health staffing.
- Any known restraint, absconding, violence or safeguarding considerations.
- Named clinical and operational contacts at both locations.
For urgent requirements, contact SkyCare operations directly so availability and the appropriate transport model can be reviewed without delay.
Specialist Support for NHS Mental Health Services
Need Secure Mental Health Transport Capacity?
SkyCare can review secure mental health transport requests from NHS Trusts, secure hospitals, PICUs and specialist mental health services across the UK and internationally.
Send the referring and receiving details, patient transport requirements, legal status, destination country and required timeframe, and our operations team will review the appropriate staffing, vehicle, flight and transfer plan.
Discuss a Secure Transport RequestSecure Mental Health Transport Request
Use the secure transport form below to send SkyCare the patient location, destination, legal status and operational details available. Our team can then review the appropriate vehicle, staffing and international transport requirements where relevant.
Feedback
What our clients say.
Air Ambulance from Portugal to Kent
SkyCare were amazing with the repatriation of my elderly mother-in-law when she became ill on a river cruise boat. They were professional every step of the way during this complicated but urgent repatriation journey.
The staff took great care of my mother-in-law, making sure she was comfortable throughout the long journey back and arranged a hospital bed for her in the UK. They gave us updates throughout the day, so we were…
Air Ambulance from Palma to England
SkyCare have been amazing. Within 48hrs of contacting them we had an agreed flight schedule and handover arranged between Palma and England. I arranged privately so I didn’t have the help or aid of an insurance company to be the middle man and I was very stressed and out of my depth. SkyCare really supported me and calmed any worries or anxiety I had about a very unknown risky arrangement…
Commercial Medical Flight from Faro to Scotland
Given the very difficult circumstances, the service we received from your doctor was utterly outstanding. From the first meet we felt safe and comfortable and throughout the whole service of getting us home we were very grateful to have such a knowledgeable person by our side. The doctor was extremely friendly and I would recommend sky care in any medical emergency. I can’t honestly praise the service high enough. Thank you so so much.
Commercial Medical Flight from Serbia to Birmingham
My 69-year-old mum unfortunately suffered a stroke while we were flying home from Turkey, which resulted in an emergency landing in Serbia. It was one of the most frightening and stressful experiences our family has ever been through. We didn’t have travel insurance that could help, so I spent hours contacting different medical repatriation companies and comparing quotes. SkyCare wasn’t the cheapest option, but after speaking to them, I had a feeling they genuinely cared about getting my mum home safely rather than just treating us like another customer. I’m so glad I trusted my instincts…
Air Ambulance from Spain to London
I cannot thank Skycare UK enough for the exceptional service they provided when organising the medical repatriation of my father-in-law from Salamanca, Spain, following a stroke.
From the very beginning, the team took the time to understand our situation and our needs during what was an incredibly difficult and emotional time for the whole family. Cameron and Ben were outstanding throughout the process, always available by phone or WhatsApp to answer questions quickly and ….
Commercial Medical Flight from Turkey to London
I can’t recommend SkyCare Repatriation highly enough. I called, Cameron answered. And he didn’t stop answering. He was there when we needed him. When we didn’t have the capacity to take on anything else, he took EVERYTHING to do with the repatriation on his shoulders. As soon as we signed on the dotted line everything was dealt with by SkyCare including organising a bed in the NHS hospital nearest our home and where the consultant who would be operating on my mother was based. And the team who brought my mother home were so caring…
Commercial Medical Flight from Alicante to London
SkyCare were amazing from initial enquiry to finish. No question was too big or too small (and I had lots!). We can’t thank Sarah enough for accompanying us on the commercial flight, and the office team for helping us bring our elderly mum with dementia and mobility issues safely home from Spain to the UK.
All aspects of the travel were handled for us, including the booking process, check-in, airport assistance, and transfers, which removed so much stress at a very difficult time….
Commercial Medical Escort Flight from Jamaica
Incredible – When my Mum had a serious seizure in Jamaica, my NHS Dr Consultant friend said “Repatriate. Get her back here to the UK, directly to us, the NHS.” I went online in the middle of the night and found CQC approved Skycare. They are an expert “A Team” of clinical professionals brought together to provide a 365, 24/7 service to repatriate poorly patients.
I chose SkyCare’s bed to bed commercial flight service to repatriate my Mum from Kingston Jamaica to the UK…
Air Ambulance Germany to England
Skycare provided an exceptional standard of service throughout the entire repatriation process. From the outset, their team demonstrated remarkable patience and understanding, particularly when plans and travel dates needed to change multiple times. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble, and they handled every adjustment professionally and efficiently.
They took the time to clearly explain each stage of the process, ensuring we fully understood what to expect and what arrangements were being made….
Air Ambulance from Paris to England
The team were amazing from start to finish. From the first phone call the team handled everything. They communicated with us quickly and efficiently and were on hand with any questions we had in our time of distress. When the team arrived at the hospital they took control of the situation and guided us through what was happening and were very impressive and immediately reassured us and showed great care for our son. The logistics were handled perfectly with a clear itinerary from when they would arrive, depart the hospital and arrive at airport and then arrive at the hospital in England…
Air Ambulance from Nice to Scotland
We cannot thank Ben, Craig and the team at SkyCare enough for bringing Christina home safely from Nice. From the moment we first made contact, the level of professionalism and care was outstanding. Dealing with a medical emergency abroad is incredibly daunting, but SkyCare took over all the logistics, allowing us to focus on Christina’s well-being.The medical crew (Peter and Laura) and pilots were exceptional, highly skilled, calm, and deeply compassionate throughout the entire transfer…
Air Ambulance from Alicante to London
I honestly cannot put into words how grateful I am to Skycare Repatriation for what they did for me during the worst week of my life.After being seriously injured abroad and feeling completely alone and vulnerable, they stepped in and quite literally changed everything. From the moment they got involved, I felt safe, supported, and genuinely cared for.What stood out to me the most were the two highly skilled medics who were with me every step of the journey…
Air Ambulance from Marbella to Poole
“This case involved a medical repatriation from Marbella to the UK, requiring rapid coordination between local healthcare providers and UK hospital services.”
Amazing service, kind & professional – due to system we had to go to A&E in Poole they managed to secure a bed in a private room in NHS all the staff from pilot to medic to driver 5 star gold standard
Air Ambulance from Peru to Peru
Brilliant team that organised medical flight transfer of a family member in Peru – difficult area to deal with and they sorted it out extremely quickly and had amazing communication throughout the whole experience – thanks very much!
Air Ambulance from Benidorm to London
Craig and his team of medics were absolutely amazing in our time of desperation. They were on hand from the moment I contacted them with our incident, taking all the stress and pressure of being in Spain away and helping us to navigate this awful, scary and frightening situation with his calm and supportive manner. From the moment the team landed in Spain, they took control, my nephew was air lifted back to the UK with such precision and kindness…
Commercial Medical Escort from Turkey to London
Communication and arranging the difficult journey back to the UK with SkyCare was easy. The team guided us through all the necessary steps to arrange the permissions and were professional and understanding of all the issues.
On the day Tasha and Sam met us and travelled the whole journey back. The ambulance arranged both ends was on time and comfortable…
Air Ambulance from London to Italy
The SkyCare team proposed two options for repatriation and helped me all along explore them, understand them, and plan accordingly. Due to the nature of our emergency, plans changed all the time, but the SkyCare team were able to adapt on the fly, and produce new plans.
All along the communication was rapid, clear, professional, and I felt that someone was really taking care of our emergency.
Commercial Medical Escort from London to Bulgaria
I couldn’t praise Craig and the team more! Craig was a literal life-saver and helped me so much during one of the toughest times in my life. He organised everything in less than 24 hours. If you ever need medical repatriation, SkyCare are the one and only choice you should be considering.
Commercial Medical Escort from Colombia to Essex
The team were a godsend they brought my son back from a nightmare fall on holiday in Columbia. He was with the team and I flew separately home the next day. I had no worries once I met them of him going on his own with them they were so friendly and professional. Thank you to all the team in Columbia and in England arranging it, I would highly recommend this team if you unfortunately ever needed this care.
Commercial Medical Escort from Colombia
Abbie and Connor brought me back from Columbia and they done an exceptional job with transferring me on the connecting flight. Multiple changes on wheelchairs and as pain free as possible. I’m very grateful to them for getting home. Thank you so much to Sky care for arranging all of this.
Ambulance from Austria to the UK
I needed to repatriate a relative from Austria at really short notice following an accident. The team at Skycare were absolutely wonderful – they assembled a crew at a days notice, kept me updated throughout the trip and were so professional and trustworthy. I would absolutely recommend them. They made a really stressful situation so much better – thank you to Craig, Ben, Emma Charlie and whole crew. So grateful to you!
Air Ambulance from France to Suffolk
Big shout out to the whole SkyCare team for my repatriation last week. I spent 2 weeks in hospital in France from a skiing accident and major surgery. The whole day ran very smoothly and I couldn’t have been looked after any better…
Following a very poor and frustrating experience with a medical insurance company who seemed focussed only on delaying matters we contacted SkyCare to organise medical repatriation for a family member we needed to get back to the UK. From start to finish we felt SkyCare offered the highest level of service obviously wanting the best medically for our relative but also professionally and speedily dealing with the necessary administration and formalities when coming from Iceland to the UK…
“The team at SkyCare could not have done more in supporting me getting my partner home. The transfer care was second to none and the support leading up to the transfer was excellent. David (complete with his broken leg) arrived back to a bed in an NHS hospital arranged by SkyCare. There really are not enough superlatives to describe the difference Craig, Ben, Ross etc all made. Thank you.”
“SkyCare have truly been lifesavers for us and our daughter who was taken ill overseas. They not only arranged the escorted flight home for our daughter but undertook all the hard graft of locating and liaising with the relevant UK hospital to get our daughter admitted directly on arrival in the UK. First Class Service!”
I’m so grateful to Craig and the team at SkyCare for guiding us through a difficult period. The team were always responsive and went above and beyond to assist our specific circumstances and challenges, to find a solution that was a safe and practical for us. They were personal and professional and treated us with sensitivity and compassion. I would 100% recommend them to everyone.
Commercial Medical Escort from Funchal to London
At a very desperate time, I was fortunate enough to find SkyCare and their wonderful team. My mother had a stroke overseas. The insurance team let us down badly so I looked at finding independent services to repatriate her back to the UK. SkyCare were able to provide a detailed and transparent price breakdown within 2 hrs . They provided a new quote within 30 min when we had to adjust an element of the repatriation. My insurance service would not provide a detailed quote…
Road Ambulance from Worthing to London
A highly professional service, performed so efficiently at a moments notice, with kindness and even a little humour at such a difficult time for us. Highly recommend.
Craig and Ben were absolutely brilliant! The process was flawless and after the chaos of the incident that happened to my mum, Craig was fantastic in organizing everything so I didn’t need to worry! It went seamlessly and everyone was so kind! Best money spent to get my mum home for emergency surgery!! Hi Craig my name is Frank father of Louise (patient) & grandad of Liberty. Your company is exceptional, professional, with a wonderful caring attitude. Thank you so much for looking after my daughter. I recommend your company highly.
Superb service, from first contact to a positive result of repatriating my husband to a UK hospital, the support and care was fantastic. My husband Jim had a stroke at our house in Greece, after emergency treatment he was placed on a ward, which was awful. He had lost his speech and all movement on his right hand side. It is up to relatives to look after the patient in hospital, they only provide medical care. I was so stressed, trying to care for him…
Medical Repatriation Advice and Support
I recently spoke to Craig from SkyCare when my mum was seriously injured overseas and it looked like a medical repatriation was needed. His advice and communication was superb, helping me to navigate a market which appears to be full of brokers with misleading prices and shocking reviews. Fortunately, my mum was deemed stable enough to fly home commercially, and yet Craig still continued to provide advice even though…
Air Ambulance from Spain to London
SkyCare were beyond brilliant with us bringing my Dad back home to Wales by Air Ambulance after he suffered a major stroke in Tenerife. We were really impressed with the whole team’s professionalism and expertise from the first moment we contacted them to the day of the repatriation and even managing to reserve Dad a bed in the Stroke unit in Wrexham Hospital to avoid the delay and trauma of A&E after a very long day travelling…
Airport-to-Hospital Medical Transfer in London
Straightforward and genuine. Craig helped us get our mum safely from the airport to the hospital. Highly recommended.
Commercial Medical Escort from Boston, MA to London
SkyCare made a complex overseas transfer from Boston to London feel effortless. Craig and Sarah were outstanding — calm, professional, and always in touch. They handled everything, from visas to flight logistics, with genuine care and attention. The costs were very reasonable, but it was their empathy and support for both patient and family that made all the difference. I can’t recommend them enough.
Vietnam to London — Medical Repatriation by SkyCare.
Fantastic professional company. We couldn’t have done this without them. My friend suffered a stroke and was paralysed on the right side. Due to a technicality, his insurance wouldn’t cover repatriation, so we had to go private. If anyone is ever in the same position, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend SkyCare. They made a stressful situation feel manageable, and I’m so grateful for their calm, capable support throughout.
France to UK — Ski Injury Repatriation by SkyCare.
Fantastic service. I was repatriated from France after a skiing accident with multiple injuries. We contacted Craig at 4am and by 10pm I was home — ground ambulance, air ambulance, and ground ambulance again. Everything went smoothly with incredible medical care and kindness. After two miserable weeks in hospital, I finally felt safe and supported. I cannot thank SkyCare enough and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
Vietnam to London — Stroke Repatriation by SkyCare.
Amazing team of people. My brother had a stroke in Vietnam and the insurance company were useless. SkyCare guided me through the process, sorted everything out, and got him safely home. The whole team were fantastic, but special thanks to the medical crew — Adam and Sarah — who flew out and did an incredible job. I can’t recommend SkyCare enough for their calm, professional help in such a difficult time.
UK to Malaysia — Long-Haul Medical Repatriation by SkyCare.
If you’re in the UK looking for a repatriation company, I couldn’t recommend SkyCare enough. They arranged medical transport for my dad from London to Kuala Lumpur — a 12-hour flight. From my first message, they responded quickly and handled all documents and approvals efficiently. Huge thanks to Craig for making everything smooth and to Nurse Nav for caring for my dad the whole way home.
Spain to UK — Stroke Repatriation by SkyCare.
SkyCare were brilliant with us, helping to bring my dad home to England after he suffered a stroke in Spain. From the moment we reached out to the day of the repatriation itself, the entire team showed professionalism, compassion, and expertise. We felt fully supported and reassured throughout the process. Thank you to everyone involved — I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend SkyCare to anyone in a similar situation.
Las Palmas to UK — Air Ambulance Repatriation by SkyCare.
Thank you to Craig and Ben for organising our return home from Las Palmas. My dad was extremely anxious about the process, but everything ran so smoothly at every stage. Mum is now safe in Maidstone Hospital, and she’s just happy to be somewhere she can easily communicate. The whole experience was calm, compassionate, and professional — we really appreciate everything SkyCare did to make it seamless.
— Pete McNair (via email)
France to UK — COVID-Era Medical Repatriation by SkyCare.
From first contact to the final update confirming safe arrival, SkyCare’s care and coordination were second to none. They handled all COVID testing, documents, and border requirements with professionalism and warmth. Repatriating two elderly parents during a pandemic was daunting, but they made the process seamless — even providing journey tracking door to door. Their genuine care and clear communication reassured us at every stage. I highly recommend SkyCare for compassionate international patient transfers.
Cannot thank the team at BM Ambulance enough for getting my Dad home from Spain. Craig/Sarah/James/Emma & Danny were all absolutely amazing. It was a huge 24 hour journey and they made Mum & Dad feel comfortable and safe the entire way. I don’t think my Dad would have made it without your help. He’s still not in the best of health but at least we have him home. We definitely could not have done this without you. Thank you all involved. Amazing people offering a fantastic service. x
I would have given more than 5 stars if I could have. A big thank you to Craig, Sarah and John for the safe delivery of our much loved mum, mother in law, Nan and great grandmother from Spain after suffering a stroke.
Accreditations
British Business & General Aviation Association
