Could this new bus directory result in fewer missed cancer appointments?

The booklet includes the routes and times of all buses going to the Whinney Heys Road hospital and is available at GP surgeries in Lytham and Fleetwood, as well as in libraries and community centres in those areas.

It was created by a group of volunteers – the Patient Cancer Care Improvement Group – after concerns people were missing appointments because they couldn’t work out how to get to the hospital on public transport.

The group came up with the idea and pulled together the content before Blackpool Transport funded printing and design costs.

The group’s chairman, David Baxter, said: “We were concerned at the alarming rate of initial cancer appointments being missed.

“While there are a number of reasons people may miss these appointments, we felt there was something we could do to put public transport information in one easy place to make things

as simple as possible.

“Obviously this directory can be used by anyone, not just those attending for cancer-related appointments, so this should be of great help to lots of people on the Fylde coast.”

In October, The Gazette revealed how hundreds of patients were being transferred away from the NHS towards the private Spire Hospital, in St Walburga’s Road, in a bid to beat cancer targets. That came after the Vic failed to meet some of its Government set-targets.

Sally Shaw works at Blackpool Transport and said: “We felt that there was a significant need for us to assist in removing potential barriers and supporting those who travel with us to their hospital appointments. Simplifying and condensing the information that people needed was our key focus, and we were hopeful that this would help those who may not be fully confident in

their journeys.”