Toddler misses chest surgery after Royal Mail fails to deliver urgent NHS letters, leaving him coughing and wheezing
27 February 2024, 13:54 | Updated: 27 February 2024, 14:43
Lengthy Royal Mail delays have caused a three-year-old toddler to miss vital chest surgery after urgent NHS letters went undelivered.
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Mother Jasmine Moulton was told by NHS staff in January that her son Joshua had missed multiple letters about his vital surgery, which should have gone ahead at the start of the year.
But despite the Royal Mail deport in Winsford, Cheshire, being just four miles from the family's home, the letters failed to get delivered.
Adding to the family's distress even further, they had missed medical appointments for her five-year-old daughter Harper who has severe skin allergies.
Royal Mail apologised following an investigation into its Winsford delivery office.
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"I was in a bit of shock," she told BBC Panorama following a call with the NHS hospital. "I explained that we hadn’t had any post come through. She sounded shocked.”
Revealing her distress to the programme and breaking down in tears, the mother said: "It’s just so frustrating. On top of being a mum to two children with... It stresses me out every day because I just think, how many other appointments have we missed?
"And just not knowing when we’re going to be able to move on. And seeing him suffering,” she explained as her son coughed and wheezed.
Royal Mail's director of corporate affairs, Jenny Hall, apologised to the distressed mother, telling her: “I have young children myself and I know that must be hugely stressful for you.”
The horrifying story was part of BBC Panorama's investigation on Monday, titled Royal Mail: Where's My Post?, which found several hospital patients, including those with cancer, had their post delayed at the Winsford delivery office.
It also found that parcels were being prioritised over letters, Royal Mail workers told the programme.
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It comes after Royal Mail was fined £5.6 million by regulator Ofcom in November after failing to meet its Universal Service Obligation to deliver a minimum 93 per cent of first-class post within a day of collection, and 98.5 per cent of second class post within up to three days following collection.
Royal Mail also made a £419 million loss last year as it continues to struggle amid delay criticisms.
It has been proposed that the service would cut down from six-days per week, to five - removing the Sunday service.
