Eastwood: Royal Mail failure costing people place on hospital waiting lists

Systemic failures in delivering urgent post on time is costing people their place on health service waiting lists, it has been claimed.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood was speaking after constituents approached him with letters from the Western Health and Social Care Trust informing them that they would be removed from waiting lists if they did not reply by a set date. The letters were not delivered until after the qualifying date had passed. 

The Derry MP said that people who have been waiting more than a year for treatment feel like they’re back at square one through no fault of their own. 

“The situation with postal delivery in Derry, and across the North, is dire. It has become a completely regular occurrence to receive letters, many of them time sensitive, weeks after they were posted and in some cases it is having very serious consequences," the former SDLP leader said.

“I know of constituents who have received urgent letters from the Western Trust informing them of appointment slots weeks after the slot has passed. In some cases that has led to follow up letters informing them that because they missed an appointment, they will be removed from the waiting list unless they reply within a set period. These letters have also arrived late. It is a completely unacceptable situation that is driving vulnerable and sick people to despair. 

“No one should have their place on a health waiting list placed in jeopardy because Royal Mail is failing so comprehensively against their service obligations. But that is what we’re now seeing. 

“I have spoken to front line postal workers who are working as hard as they can but feel unsupported by Royal Mail to deal with the volume of deliveries they’re given with the number of staff available. The push to prioritise packages to compete with couriers like Amazon is only making the situation far more acute.

“I have written to the Health Minister at Stormont and the Minister with responsibility for Postal Services at Westminster to raise these issues and identify if this is a wider issue. People who are waiting for treatment in the health service should not be placed in this position. It is unfair, it creates additional stress and it needs to be addressed urgently."