Barwell man misses hospital appointment after mail arrives

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Barwell man misses hospital appointment after mail arrives two years late

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A MAN from Barwell missed out on important hospital treatment when the Royal Mail delivered his appointment two years late.

After years of suffering with back trouble David Underwood thought all his problems would be solved when he went for complicated surgery to get a spinal column stimulator fitted to ease his pain.

Sadly a heart attack in between his operations meant that David, from Berrywell Drive, had to have some of the surgery put back until he was fit and well again.

But David missed important cardiac rehabilitation sessions at George Eliot hospital, to get him back on his road to recovery, because he never got the letter to say he had any.

His appointment was supposed to be for December 23 2011 – which he did not receive until last month.

David said: “I never had the rehab for my heart attack because I never got the letter.

“I was waiting and waiting for this referral and because I didn’t turn up they put me back on the waiting list.

“I was waiting for the rehab so I could have the second operation.

“I am used to the pain but it is very mentally exhausting having to wait and my wife has been worried sick.”

David received the letter, together with an apology letter from Royal Mail which said the item had been “allegedly withheld from delivery by a Royal Mail employee” and that they were taking “all appropriate action necessary.”

David added: “It’s failing us and its a pathetic service – I just want them to provide better.

“I was never offered anything – not even a stamp – just a letter which addressed me as ‘dear customer’. After holding the letter for two years, I think they should address me by my name.”

David’s wife Tracey has also had letters from her doctor go missing.

She said: “This year I was supposed to have a test for my asthma. The surgery told me two letters had been sent out but I haven’t received them. We have had no end of hospital letters that have gone missing – we can never trust whether or not we will get the mail any more.

“If I hadn’t been on top of the hospital and ringing them I would not have known what was going on.”

Thankfully David has now undergone the second part of his surgery.

A Royal Mail spokesman, Nick Martens, said: “Royal Mail apologises to Mr Underwood for the unacceptable delay in receiving his letter and we are very sorry for any problems this may have caused.

“Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and that stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking and who do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely.

“It is a criminal offence to tamper with or delay the delivery of mail and anyone caught doing so will face serious disciplinary measures and Royal Mail will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust.

“The safety and security of mail is of the utmost importance to this business and Royal Mail will not allow the actions of any individual to damage the good reputation of our thousands of hard-working postmen and women.”

[Judgee]

Ok right you are then. All Royal mail is rubbish because some thieving toerag stole his letter?

If it was that important should they not have chased it up sooner on one of those new fangled thingies ya know a telephone? His wife managed it for other appointments

[briantwigley]

If it was for something important and he missed it the hospital would just make him another appointment. Typical tabloid sensationalism.