End of a vital lifeline

The ending of the Red Cross hospital transport service is a big loss to the island.

It has helped hundreds of people complete thousands of journeys to hospital appointments on the mainland.

It has become a vital lifeline for many elderly and infirm residents who have to travel for regular hospital appointments on the mainland and not just in Crosshouse but in Ayr, Glasgow and even further afield.

There has been concern about the service for some time – but the Red Cross has always insisted it would find the funding to keep it going.

The charity used to apply for, and receive, grants from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) as well as Scottish Patient Transport (SPT). Over the years, it has become more and more difficult to have such applications accepted and, last year, the SAS informed the Red Cross that it would no longer provide any funding for this service.

What has emerged this week is that the SPT indicated that it would be only be willing to continue to provide part of the grant until the end of June, if the Red Cross chipped in until a different provider was found. But while the Red Cross has worked to find funding partners ever since, both on Arran and on the mainland, this has been to no avail.

That is not much comfort to the dozens of users who received letters this week telling them the service was to end in a matter of days and we feel the Red Cross could have been more transparent in outlining its difficulties in the past months when, if it had been known it was in real trouble, an alternative situation may have been able to be found.

Now from next week the service – which has been operating for 13 years – will come to an abrupt end.

Possible solutions are being investigated but it is not looking hopeful that any public body or charity is in a position to take over the transfer service any time soon.

But let’s hope a solution may come from an unexpected source.