Woman Pays for Private Heart Surgery After Royal Mail Delay

Wendy Worth, a 62-year-old mother of two, was compelled to use £13,500 of her inheritance for private heart surgery after a crucial NHS appointment letter was significantly delayed by Royal Mail. Worth underwent a coronary angioplasty at Gloucester Royal Hospital on July 22, fearing her condition would worsen before she received any official NHS confirmation or date.

Three days after her private procedure, a second-class letter dated July 9 arrived, informing her that she could have the same surgery for free on August 3. The delay was attributed to staff and resourcing pressures at Royal Mail depots in Gloucester, which resulted in the appointment letter arriving nine days late.

Worth described the situation as "shocking and almost cruel," expressing her distress at having spent a substantial sum on private treatment only to discover the NHS offered the same procedure at no cost shortly thereafter. She noted that the private operation took place at the same NHS-run hospital, performed by NHS doctors, adding to her frustration.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stated that an appointment letter was sent on July 9 for an August 3 procedure and that, in line with their process at the time, no further contact was made before the planned surgery date. The trust has since introduced additional checks to contact patients directly if appointment letters are not confirmed in the week prior to their procedure, a measure implemented after becoming aware of mail delivery issues in certain areas.

A Royal Mail spokesperson apologized for the customer's experience and stated they are investigating. The company acknowledged the importance of timely mail delivery, particularly for critical items like hospital letters, and affirmed their commitment to improving reliability. They reported that 93% of letters are delivered on time and over 99% within a week.

Wendy Worth shared her experience at a meeting hosted by Royal Mail and Alex McIntyre, the MP for Gloucester, for affected residents. She claimed that Royal Mail promised major delivery time improvements by September 10, but stated that the situation has worsened since then. MP Alex McIntyre called the incident "completely unacceptable" and said Royal Mail owes Worth a sincere apology, highlighting that many others are experiencing delays with important mail, including financial documents and medical correspondence.