Tell them his condition means he is unable to make such a journey!

doesn't qualify!

 I had an angiogram at the beginning of the year and I had to stay in hospital that day. Argue the point, threaten them with going to the papers, anything.

check out Queen Elizabeth Kings Lynn - same distance from you but different County and might have different transport options - you can ask for a change of hospital if they could suit your needs better 

alternatively do battle with Lincoln - bus times arnt suitable and you cant afford the voluntary service 

As far as I understand it the NHS has a duty of care to ALL citizens. The fundamental Raison D'etre is health care for all. To be forced to make an unsuitable journey or pay an unaffordable fee contravenes that basic reasoning.

Fight your corner - take it to the papers, make a complaint to the hospital/GP/council/councillor/MP and anyone else you can think of!

HoPE you got it all sorted Machel We had something similar when Mr Baz had to go and have an op a couple of years ago . He had to have it done about 40 miles from home and I don't drive . They wanted him there at 7 o'clock in the morning .....there are no direct trains or buses, they said it was too early for hospital transport per se ,  my daughter was working ...AND it was New Years ......after a lot of argie bargie with the local surgery I rang the consultants secretary direct and explained .....they ended up sending a taxi for him FOC  

If all else fails is there no way to schedule the appointment to accommodate the travel before and after? (if that's possible) Or anyone who could pick him up after? 

 You should kick up a fuss and see if there is anything they can do. For £45 it could be cheaper to get a little BnB and get the buses back the day after! Also I'm not familiar with the procedure but will he feel up to 3 buses home afterwards?

Yes Jen, good point. Machel tell them you want the appt moving as you haven't got any decent transport and even the B&B sounds like  good idea Jen 

first bus we could catch is 9.26 (£8.00+ return) and takes 1/2 hour, second one is nearly 2 hours (and dread to think of cost) and then third bus up to hospital (not sure of frequency although there is one that runs hourly) and then we have an appointment that is at least 2 hours before trying to get home!  did I mention we live in a rural area?

So we're talking 3 to 4 hours to get there (assuming there is no significant wait between busses) and the same back and then 2+ hours at the hospital. Best scenario and we're still talking over 8 hours! No strenuous activity after the procedure - no running for busses or copious amounts of walking. There really is no way this can realistically be done in a day. If they aren't going to keep him in overnight for observation, then he'll NEED to stay in Lincoln somewhere. Kick and scream Machel - you cannot be subjected to such inhumane treatment.

BTW, if you don't mind saying, what is the reason they are giving for him not being eligible for assistance?

because he is not housebound/can walk

unfortunately you are a name and address with them having no way of knowing what it is like living rural - I am in a similar situation where I live - 3 buses etc to get me there etc 

can you get Hubby's GP onside to get you any transport help ?

Machel could this link be of use .

http://www.redcross.org.uk/Where-we-work/In-the-UK

click on health and support then transport . Good luck ...

if there is no other way and you had to  pay this £45 check the following link to see if you would be eligible for help in reclaiming it

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/H...ges/Travelcosts.aspx

Write to your MP and your MEP....NOW!

Also, it won't hurt to talk to the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

update

we may be able to claim the money back but it is a lot to pay out to begin with (and there is a second visit the week after)

unfortunately my mp is mark simmonds, who failed to declare in parliament 50k which he received from a health company and who is stepping down at the next election because he is scared of the ukip vote he finds it difficult to survive on only this and his mp's salary

Awww Machel Have you tried the CAB , like EFFT suggested ....they might be able to help