Discounted travel for NHS appointments
Single vehicle crossings for NHS appointments are now capped at £35
If you need to travel from the Isle of Wight to the mainland for an NHS-funded hospital appointment, you can get 50% off your ferry crossing with Wightlink.
You will pay a maximum of £35 per single crossing in a vehicle ensuring you a low price, even at peak times of travel.
The NHS discount is available for the patient plus one other traveller, or if the patient is a child, two parents are permitted to travel alongside. The offer does not apply to appointments with GPs, dentists, pharmacists or opticians.
You will be required to produce your appointment card, letter or SMS showing your appointment date and time only when you check in at port. You won’t need to provide the appointment reason or details.
How to book
Give us a call in advance on our dedicated Assisted Travel line at 0800 093 8236 and our team will be on hand to make sure you can travel confidently when you need it most. Quote the Wightlink Healthcare Discount and our skilled staff will ensure that you are charged lowest price possible using the 50% discount.
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 and Saturday – Sun, 09:00 – 17:00.
The 50% discount applies to Standard and Economy vehicle fares and Standard foot passenger fares. The £35 cap applies to Standard and Economy vehicle fares only.
Once booked, you’ll receive your e-ticket which you’ll need to show when checking in, alongside proof of entitlement – this can be an appointment card, letter, or SMS referring to your appointment.
Things to know
What happens if there are delays or disruption?
If we experience delays or disruption to our car ferries or FastCat services, we will make sure you are contacted and advised if we need to move your sailing time to make sure your travel requirements are accommodated.
I need extra support when travelling
We understand that you may need extra support when travelling to or from your hospital appointment and staying in your vehicle during the crossing may help you.
The legal requirement (MSN 1823 – Regulation 25.14 and The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes III to VI (A)) Regulations 1998 (SI1998/2515) Reg 71)) is for passengers to vacate vehicles during a ferry crossing and we cannot guarantee a request to stay in your vehicle under any circumstances.
Each request is considered only in extraordinary circumstances and added to your booking if there are no other restrictions already in place.
At the time of sailing only, the Captain of the ship will conduct a Dynamic Risk Assessment to determine if it is safe for the request to be authorised based on the ships load, crew and weather conditions.
If it is determined that it is not safe to remain in your vehicle, you can either choose to travel on the booked sailing and make your way to the passenger lounges or we will offer you an alternate sailing time.
Call our dedicated Assisted Travel line on 0800 093 8236, Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm, to discuss your requirements.
Travel costs support
If you’re an Isle of Wight resident that meets the eligibility of ‘low income’, the Discounted Fare Scheme will provide a fixed price on car, motorbike and foot passenger travel on all our routes across the Solent.
Find out more about this scheme and whether you are eligible on our special offers webpage.
If you’re referred to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist or another primary care health professional, you may be able to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs under the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).
Bus routes to hospitals
Each of our mainland ports is well connected to major transport routes. From our Portsmouth ports in Gunwharf and Harbour, you’ll be within a few minutes’ walk from the Hard Interchange, a major bus and coach station.
From here, there are four services that can get you to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham – First Bus’ 3 and 8 or Stagecoach’s 20 and 23.
If you’ve travelled on our Yarmouth – Lymington route for an NHS appointment at Southampton General Hospital, you can catch the train from the pier into Lymington town station, from where you can catch Bluestar’s 6 service into Southampton.
You’ll need to change over at Millbrook roundabout onto Bluestar’s 7 service, which stops outside the hospital.