Latest news with #medicalappointments
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Post delays in Cumbria lead to 'missed appointments'
Delays to postal deliveries, which some people say have caused them to miss medical appointments, "must be fixed", an MP has in Cumbria have taken to social media to complain about receiving notifications of appointments after they were due to attend, leading the MP for Penrith and Solway Markus Campbell-Savours to set up a meeting with Royal Mail Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the main causes were staff vacancies and postal workers being overloaded with mail which has to be returned to sorting Mail said: "We are working hard to ensure that all residents in Penrith and Solway receive their mail reliably and on time." Among the complaints on social media was one from a resident who "missed a medical appointment last week as the letter came this week".Another said a medical letter relating to their child took 20 days to arrive meaning "they then removed my child from the waiting list because they hadn't heard from me".Others shared late arriving birthday cards and claimed they were without a mobile phone for more than a week while waiting for a SIM card which had been posted first class. 'Bit of a disaster' Labour MP Campbell-Savours told BBC Radio Cumbria: "We need this issue fixed. People are very reliant on the mail service."If you're missing surgery dates and meetings with consultants and you're elderly and there aren't better ways to communicate, it's a bit of a disaster and I want to see it stopped."A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We are meeting with Mr Campbell-Savours to discuss concerns about deliveries in his constituency." Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron said he was also seeing problems in his area."This is not the postie's fault," Farron blamed decisions taken by senior Royal Mail managers leading to an unmanageable upcoming closure of the Sedburgh and Appleby sorting offices meant there was more pressure on Kendal and Penrith centres, he Cumbria and North Lancashire branch of the CWU said there were 10 vacancies at both the Penrith and Kendal sorting starters had also left the business due to the "extreme workload" and were on worse terms and conditions than existing staff, according to the union. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
National Post
4 days ago
- Health
- National Post
Senior Living: TLC for the body, from head to toe
It used to be that my agenda contained reminders of upcoming events like lunches, bridge games or concerts at Place-des-Arts, but no more. Nowadays I see reminders of upcoming medical appointments, food or pharmacy deliveries and other health-related items. From head to toe, each part of me seems to be clamouring for attention. Here are some of them. Article content Hair. Article content Article content Let's start with a good part. Thanks to the skill of my hairdresser Toni who has tended to my locks for the past 38 years, my hair is in good shape. Toni does my cutting, styling and colouring as I like to keep at least my hair looking young. Article content Article content Going downward, we come to the eyes. Article content Here the trouble started 12 years ago when I was diagnosed with AMD (age-related macular degeneration). I was referred to retina specialist Dr. Julius Gomolin at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital (Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital) and my visits are still going strong. He treats me with injections in both eyes for which I am grateful. But age takes its toll and even a great doctor can't stop that. Then there's my teeth. Article content Here, too, I have had problems for years but hey, nothing is perfect. Swollen and inflamed gums demand cleaning several times a year and I am glad to oblige as dental health is related to the rest of your body or so I am told. The federal dental plan to the rescue as dental expenses are concerned. Article content Still on my head (luckily the brain part is functioning) we come to the ears and my hearing or rather, the increasing difficulties I experience with its functioning. Here I count on the expertise of Dr. Jack Rothstein an ear-nose-and throat specialist who checks all those parts and keeps an eye on my hearing tests (to use a play on words). Article content Now we arrive at my neck which also decided to get into the act. Mentioning a swallowing problem to my doctor I was sent for thyroid gland examinations. These were then evaluated by a doctor specializing in endocrine surgery. Luckily the results were negative. Article content One area of the branches of medicine I have been well acquainted with over the years is dermatology, due to many skin problems. Carcinoma, melanoma, I had them, but escaped unscathed due to the work of my excellent dermatologist, Dr. Sasseville. I am now under the care of Dr. Powell. My latest issue is called keratosis and is a harmless but unpleasant dry skin condition. So my dermatology visits continue as before. Article content I must give a hand or two to my manicurist. I can no longer take care of my nails due to poor eyesight. Then there's the overall health of the body. It demands attention day and night. Arrange vaccinations, cholesterol count and blood pressure to be checked, blood tests scheduled by your family doctor (if you are lucky to have one).
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Goole patient questions out-of-town hospital trips
A woman has questioned why she was asked to travel out of town to attend medical appointments while the status of her local hospital remains Medcalf, from Goole, East Yorkshire, said being sent to Scunthorpe for appointments, rather than the hospital five minutes from her home, had caused her additional "stress".A public consultation is being staged on the future of Goole and District Hospital and about 300 people shared their views at the first of two drop-in sessions this McConnell, of NHS Humber Health Partnership, said no decisions had been made and "all options available" would be considered, but the hospital would not be closing. Ms Medcalf said she had abandoned her car at Scunthorpe General Hospital after driving around the car park for an hour trying to find a space for her said she had left it on double-yellow lines, concerned that if she missed her appointment the consultant might not see her Medcalf added that her work as a GP administrator made her aware that people from Goole were being given appointments at Scunthorpe, which is more than 25 miles from Goole, when they could be held at their local she said that when she had another appointment made for her at Scunthorpe and asked why it could not be in Goole, her wish was granted – and the appointment date was sooner than it would have been at arrival at Goole and District Hospital, she said it looked like a "ghost town", with only one other patient there and empty waiting rooms. People who attended this week's drop-in session at The Courtyard in Goole said they did not want services moved to Grimsby, Hull or Scunthorpe because of the difficulty getting there by public Goole Hospital Action Group said it still had "grave concerns" after staff told the BBC in December that the hospital trust told them wards would be Kenning, from the group, said there were worries about suggestions that empty parts of the hospital could be rented out to libraries or community groups."That doesn't put patients in beds. I just don't think you need an expensive project like this [consultation drop-in] to tell you the obvious, which is that the population of Goole and surrounding areas are better cared for in our local hospital," she said. Mr McConnell said every idea put forward during the consultation process would be considered, but the NHS had to consider how best to meet patients' needs without "an infinite budget".He said: "That's why we are engaging with the population to get their views as to what's best for them. The hospital is not closing."Humber Health Partnership previously said it would look at appointment scheduling to help people travelling from Goole to other hospital Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, which is running the consultation process, said there would be another drop-in session next is also a survey online. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
