A REDDITCH mum was forced to take a taxi ride on tick to get home from Worcestershire Royal Hospital after her special needs son had an operation on his smashed finger.
Single mum Mary Bird, who does not drive, says she was left at the door of Worcestershire Royal with her two children, no money and no means to get home other than to wait hours for a hospital minibus.
Only through the generosity of local taxi firm Sterling Cars of Birmingham Road, who said she could pay them when she was able to, were Mary, 38, and her two children able to get home.
The Church Hill resident’s medical nightmare began when her eight year old son Andrew trapped his finger in a door at their Upperfields Close home at around 2pm last Sunday (October 2).
“He was screaming and I dialled 999 but they said they couldn’t send an ambulance as they didn’t think it was an emergency,” said Mary.
“I rang Sterling Cars and told them I couldn’t pay them but they sent a car anyway and we went to the Alex.”
The family then waited four hours before a decision was made to send Andrew to Worcestershire Royal by ambulance, with Mary and her daughter, aged 11, accompanying him.
Once there Andrew underwent an operation but it was 11.30pm at night before he returned to the ward.
“I had no way of getting home so we spent the night in a couple of beds in the parents’ sitting room,” said Mary.
The next morning, Mary asked if they could be sent back to Redditch only to be told they’d have to wait for a minibus.
She turned again to Sterling Cars took her home and on Tuesday she visited their offices to pay her £32 taxi bill, and to say thank you.
Anjid Hussain of Sterling Cars said: “We considered this an emergency because the child had to go to hospital.
“We said, don’t worry about the money, you can pay us when you can because where your kids are concerned, money doesn’t really matter.
“It would be much better if these hospital services were in Redditch. The Government doesn’t seem to realise some people cannot afford a taxi across Redditch, let alone to Worcester.”
Neal Stote, chairman of Save the Alex, said: “This is exactly what we warned about. This is the reality facing many people in Redditch. This case also raises questions about what exactly the Alex can handle.”
A spokesperson for the health trust said: “We always aim to help where transportation is an issue. When someone raises concerns with us about getting to and from hospital we will work to see if we can provide support from the volunteer drivers network.
“In addition, if someone is on a low income they may be able to claim back transport costs from any of our hospital sites. This information is available on our website.”
