SDLP Councillor and the party’s local spokesperson on Health, Councillor Colin McGrath has condemned the waste of £2million on missed hospital appointments.
Councillor McGrath said: “A recent reportxa0by the Consumer Council and the Patient and Client Council also found that a fifth of people surveyed had missed a hospital appointment.
“It also found that a quarter of those questioned said they had cancelled their appointment due to concerns about the journey to and from the hospital.
“So, not only is the health and well-being of the patients being affected but it is also a huge drain on the public purse.xa0 I welcome the Consumer Council’s call for additional travel literature to be included with hospital appointments for those who have stated that they do not own their own car.
“In these pressing economic times, this £2 million could certainly be directed better elsewhere.
Consideration also needs to be given to the number of appointments that the health service cancel at the last minute too. People take time off work to attend appointments and there is a knock-on effect for employers too.
“I would ask the PCC to consider commissioning such a report to let us see the full vista of this issue,” added Councillor McGrath.
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