Hospital appointments lost in the mail
Manawatu¯ and Tararua patients are missing medical appointments or are having to scramble to make them at the last minute as notifications sent by post fail to turn up on time, if at all.
Earlier this week, a Woodville mother posted a complaint on social media about receiving a notification for her son’s appointment with a Palmerston North Hospital pediatrician a week after the date had been and gone.
And it turns out she’s not alone and others around the region are coming forward with similar tales, although the company that delivers hospital mail says it hasn’t heard of any problems.
Denise Quinney said it was ridiculous and potentially dangerous such important mail couldn’t be delivered on time, when it was sent weeks in advance.
Her 11-year-old son Bronson has attended annual pediatric appointments since he started having problems with his kidneys when he was 2.
They’re important check-ups to make sure his health isn’t deteriorating and to monitor his ADHD medication, making sure the dosage is effective and not interfering with his other treatments.
Bronson might have missed it this year if a Palmerston North Hospital pediatrician hadn’t called his mum to confirm the appointment at the Pahı¯atua outpatient clinic.
Quinney said they’d apparently missed an appointment in December and been rescheduled for Friday last week, but no notices had arrived in the post.
‘‘They were surprised I didn’t know anything about it ... Then [this Thursday] the letter about the rescheduled appointment finally showed up. It’s beyond a joke.’’
Brendon Mcavoy is having the same problem.
He has advanced skin cancer and since his diagnosis in May he regularly travels to Palmerston North Hospital for consultations and surgical appointments.
Recently, he came all the way over the Saddle Rd to have tumours on his forehead removed, only for hospital staff to express surprise he’d come in – his surgery had been postponed.
When he got home, he found the hospital’s letter informing him of the changed date was finally delivered while he’d been in Palmerston North.
‘‘That’s a serious problem. Not getting the right dates could severely prolong my treatment and be seriously bad for my health.’’
It can take months to reschedule a surgery and every missed appointment meant somebody else who needed an operation wasn’t able to get in sooner, he said.
He’d been the victim of late or last-minute delivery of the notices several times.
‘‘In October, the notice arrived the day before the hospital had me booked for surgery. But it was sent out at the end of September, three weeks before that.
‘‘[The hospital uses] DX Mail because it’s supposed to be quicker than the regular mail, but it’s very slow over here.’’
The Midcentral District Health Board is looking into the mail problem and is expected to make a statement early next week.
DX Mail general manager Ben Fitzpatrick said the company wasn’t aware of any delivery problems in Manawatu¯ or Tararua, but will investigate delays brought to its attention. To do so, the firm needs to see a copy of the late letter’s envelope to examine the postmarks and the intended address.
The company delivers mail directly in Palmerston North, Feilding, Levin and Dannevirke, but sends deliveries outside those areas through NZ Post, he said.
‘‘ They were surprised anything about it... I didn’t know Then[ this thursday] the letter about the appointment finally rescheduled showedup.it’s beyond a joke.’’
DENISE QUINNEY