Monday 21 January 2013

MP comments on Medical Crisis on Pirate FM



See Pirate FM item dated 20 Jan 13 entitled "Isles of Scilly Faces Medical Crisis" which includes comments from local MP Andrew George about his concerns.  The MP has received significant correspondance on the matter and other representations.

See Pirate FM item here.

The delivery of health services has been greatly affected by the loss of the helicopter service and the extended closure of Lands End Airport.  The result is that islanders have had to fly to Newquay assuming that flights were available at all.  Newquay Airport has poor public transport connections making it impossible to attend an outpatient appointment at Treliske Hospital, Truro, using public transport links in a day (a taxi from Newquay Airport to Treliske costs £42 each way). Transport failure also causes clinics to be cancelled on the islands because specialist staff cannot get to the islands to run them.  The constraints on moving blood samples, sometimes urgent diagnostic tests,  have already been reported on this site.
 
There are also comments from Dick Cliffe, Penzance, based upon an earlier interview, when he explained to Pirate FM’s interviewer what a Jet Boat/RIB was and the ‘adventure’ involved in making the ~40 mile journey from the islands to Penzance in December.  The discussion was not about using Jet Boats for medical travel needs.


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