Hospital review after Worthing patient's early start (From The Argus)
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Hospital review after Worthing patient's early start
12:31pm Monday 24th October 2011 in News
HOSPITAL bosses have issued a review after a patient was refused help to cover the cost of getting to an operation early in the morning.
The patient, from the Worthing area, was told they had to get to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester by 6.45am for orthopaedic surgery.
This was because operations normally carried out at Southlands Hospital in Shoreham had to be diverted to Chichester because of problems with its operating theatre.
The patient was told they could not get any assistance to pay for a taxi or overnight accommodation in Chichester.
A Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust board meeting was told that patients were not normally asked to arrive so early so the case would be reviewed.
The trust says it takes a flexible approach to assisting patients and would consider some financial assistance where this was absolutely necessary.
Brightonian in Germany says...
5:09pm Mon 24 Oct 11
What an insult to the patients to be told that because the Trust has problems with an Operation Theatre they are expected to travel many miles at their own cost. Not to mention the additional stress that would be caused, through what I can only call ineptitude by the Trust.
I quote the following paragraph from this artical:-
"The trust says it takes a flexible approach to assisting patients and would consider some financial assistance where this was absolutely necessary."
This is a further insult to the patient & the Trust has to be made to explain its´ behaviour. No ifs & buts!!
At the very least they should now send this person an apology & cover his costs. If he is able to he should maybe look for another Trust to treat him.
These incumbents on the Trust Board earn so much that their heads are in the clouds & must think that everyone else earns such inflated Salaries. Payed for by the British Taxpayers!!!!
They might well be able to afford the extra cost without batting an eyelid (& settle it up against their taxes as well). 95% of the population most certainly can not & should not have to.
Sack the lot of them & send them to do some real work I would suggest a building site etc. If for no other reason that they get their feet back on the ground & back to reality.