Expecting a letter from the hospital? Royal Mail is considering delaying it:Letters about hospital appointments, court summons and parking fines could take three days instead of two

[POSTMAN]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/0 ... t-summons/

Royal Mail is in talks with the Government and the NHS about slowing down the delivery of hospital letters and fines to save money.
The NHS and the Ministry of Justice are among the bodies to have been asked by Royal Mail whether letters they send to the public could be delivered in three days instead of two.

Slowing down postal deliveries could save up to £650 million a year, according to a report from Ofcom published in January.
The move could see medical appointment letters, court summonses and other vital documents arriving more slowly.

Royal Mail sources confirmed the business was talking to its “bulk mail” customers, which includes government agencies and commercial companies, about slowing down their post as part of a potential cost-saving drive, but said no decision had been made.

Bulk delivery customers
A spokesman said “reform is urgently needed”, adding: “We are doing everything in our power to transform, but it is not sustainable to maintain a network built for 20 billion letters when we are now only delivering seven billion.”
Customers in discussion with Royal Mail about slower deliveries include the NHS and the Ministry of Justice, The Sunday Times reported.
Ofcom’s January report said: “If the large majority of letters were delivered within three days, it could achieve net cost savings of £150 million to £650 million” for Royal Mail.

News of the discussions between Royal Mail and its corporate customers comes amid a simmering political row over its legal obligation to deliver mail six days a week, known as its universal service obligation (USO).

Tension is brewing between the Government, Royal Mail and Ofcom after the watchdog warned that maintaining postal deliveries for six days a week, as the law currently requires, could become “financially and operationally unsustainable”.
A government source said on Sunday there would be “no changes” to Royal Mail’s service obligations.
“The Prime Minister has made clear and government ministers have made clear, six-days-a-week deliveries are staying,” the source told The Telegraph.

Watered down USO
Rishi Sunak has already ruled out any move to water down the USO over fears it could lead to vital correspondence arriving later than required.
Hours after Ofcom floated the idea of slowing down mail or cutting the USO in January, Mr Sunak said: “We remain absolutely committed to ensuring that it remains as it is.”

Trust in Royal Mail

49% Have experienced delays in Royal Mail service over the past 12 months
29% Say the Royal Mail’s postal service has gotten worse over the past 12 months
48% Are less trusting of Royal Mail than they were at the start of the year


Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has refused to make similar pledges, saying he would “reflect” on Ofcom’s proposal to reduce the USO.
Royal Mail handled seven billion letters and parcels in the year 2022-23, with Ofcom warning that this has halved since 2011-12.
Second-class stamps have more than doubled in price over the same period, up from 36p in 2011 to 75p today.
An NHS spokesman said: “The NHS is making it as easy as possible for patients to book appointments through the NHS app, over the phone or direct in a GP surgery, but clearly it is important patients can also receive fast communication through the post if they prefer.”
The Ministry of Justice, the Department for Business and Trade and the Department of Health and Social Care were contacted for comment.

[POSTMAN]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -year.html

Now 70% of letters could take an extra day to arrive as part of Royal Mail plans to save up to £650

Delivery of billions of letters could be delayed under plans drawn up by Royal Mail to save up to £650million annually, it was revealed yesterday.

Official letters including those for hospital appointments, fines and court documents would take longer to be delivered under a scheme to affect 'bulk mail'.

Sources told the Sunday Times that Royal Mail was 'actively exploring' proposals to lengthen the time it has to deliver such letters to three days instead of two.

The newspaper reported that talks had already started with hospitals, government agencies and large businesses about the scheme, which would need approval from the regulator Ofcom.


The plan comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out cutting postal rounds from six-days-a-week to just three.

Current rules mean that first-class post should arrive at its destination the next day and second-class items within three days.

So-called bulk mail from public services and businesses - which makes up around 70 percent of all letters posted in the UK - is meant to be delivered within two days of posting. Some organisations have already opted for a cheaper five-day service.

Changing that to three days could save Royal Mail between £150million and £650million, according to Ofcom.

Royal Mail, which was privatised in 2013, recorded a £319million half-year loss in November and is under pressure to cut costs. It has been fined for failing to meet delivery targets.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: 'Ofcom's report demonstrates that reform is urgently needed to protect the future of the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service.

'We are doing everything in our power to transform, but it is not sustainable to maintain a network built for 20billion letters when we are now only delivering seven billion.

'We are actively considering the options put forward in Ofcom's report, in discussion with our customers, employees and unions.'

[qwerty2]

RM are doing this deliberately to annoy everyone - the media and the public
So they can change the USO

[olilew]

When we did deliver 20 billion letters we delivered every single one, everyday. Now we only deliver 7 billion, only a third as much, whole walks are left in up and down the country everyday! Why can't the powers that be see what the reason for that is?

[Mr Rush]

Isn't it the sender's prerogative to choose an appropriate mailing class and their right to expect the relevant standard of delivery to be upheld? If the company wants to offer a slower option then bring back Mailsort. Most of it would be if it weren't for the DSA middlemen.

[postslippete]

When we did deliver 20 billion letters we delivered every single one, everyday. Now we only deliver 7 billion, only a third as much, whole walks are left in up and down the country everyday! Why can't the powers that be see what the reason for that is?

Good point and we also made a decent profit delivering these 20 billion letters as well. The price of stamps have gone up faster than inflation and we are delivering less letters now, but still can't maintain the USO. What has gone wrong?

[BenacreNick]

Only RM Management could come up with ideas of actually attempting to slow down deliveries.

Are they actually on the same planet as the rest of us ?

Jesus

[BenacreNick]

Only RM Management could come up with ideas of actually attempting to slow down deliveries.

Are they actually on the same planet as the rest of us ?

Jesus

[Rommagic]

When we did deliver 20 billion letters we delivered every single one, everyday. Now we only deliver 7 billion, only a third as much, whole walks are left in up and down the country everyday! Why can't the powers that be see what the reason for that is?

Good point and we also made a decent profit delivering these 20 billion letters as well. The price of stamps


have gone up faster than inflation and we are delivering less letters now, but still can't maintain the USO. What has gone wrong?

No scanning back then.

[guardianangel]

Wont be getting hospital letters from our office we were only delivering every 3 days last week

[bo72]

That's the big problem with privatised utilities. They don't exist to provide a decent service, they exist to make money for share holders. If they can make more money by offering a poorer service they will. The privatised water industry is another prime example.