A three-year-old boy with breathing difficulties missed out on vital chest surgery after Royal Mail failed to deliver appointment letters to his mother, an investigation has found.
Jasmine Moulton, from Cheshire, has two children: Joshua, three, and Harper, five – both of whom have missed out on NHS care due to postal failings.
In January, Moulton was told by hospital staff that her son had missed scheduled surgery to deal with problems with his breathing and swallowing.
Her five-year-old daughter, who suffers from extreme skin allergies and must wrap all her limbs in bandages, also missed key medical appointments.
Three-year-old Joshua Moulton missed out on key surgery due to undelivered post
BBC
Moulton only lives four miles from the Royal Mail delivery office in Winsford, but no NHS correspondence had been delivered.
She was told via phone in January that her children had missed appointments, but insisted she hadn’t received any post letting her know.
She said: “I was like, ‘pardon?’ And I was in a bit of shock – I explained that we hadn’t had any post come through. [The caller] sounded shocked.
“It’s just so frustrating. On top of being a mum to two children… 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 told BBC Panorama.
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Royal Mail suffered a staggering £419 million loss in 2023
PA
Royal Mail issued an apology to the family, and said it was investigating the Winsford depot as “a priority”.
Its corporate affairs director Jenny Hall said: “I have young children myself and I know that must be hugely stressful for you.”
The Panorama investigation found multiple customers – including cancer patients – enquiring at the Winsford office about missing post.
It also interviewed current and former Royal Mail staff who said parcel deliveries were taking priority over letters.
Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake said he believed Royal Mail "can build a sustainable model"
PA
The shocking story comes as Royal Mail is weighing up slashing delivery days to just three per week following a damning Ofcom review which said the carrier could become “unsustainable” without reform.
But Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear on this, six-day delivery is really important for many people in this country, many of our citizens, but also for many of our businesses.
“Royal Mail made significant profits in previous years. They’ve had a couple of difficult years not least because of some of the industrial action they’ve been subjected to. But nevertheless, we are keen to see Royal Mail become more efficient.
“I believe the Royal Mail can build a sustainable model. But that sustainable model must be based on a day service.”
Alongside the delivery cuts, the carrier is looking to expand into the more profitable parcel delivery sector as it seeks to improve on a staggering £419million loss in 2023.
The Ofcom review itself found 63 per cent of Britons thought six-day deliveries were important – but affordability and reliability were customers’ top priorities.