JUST a week after Redditch MP Rachel Maclean was singing the praises of the hopper bus service from the Alex to Worcestershire Royal, health chiefs are to axe it.
At the time Mrs Maclean said: “First of all the hopper bus journey proved very pleasant and hassle free – and second I learned about some of the good news stories coming from the hospital.”
The news follows hot on the heels of the latest report from the Care quality Commission which has given Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT) eight weeks to make ‘urgent improvements’ in its level of care.
The Trust says it aims to replace the bus service with an on-demand transport service launching in September.
The hopper bus service was part of a plan to solve the difficulty of getting Redditch residents to the Royal Hospital in the wake of a decision to move key services there last year.
At the time Caragh Merrick, chair WAHT spoke of a desire to get a proper bus service linking the two hospitals, and spoke of her hopes to get such a service sponsored.
Redditch has the lowest percentage of care ownership in the county yet at the same time has a high level of need for health care services.
Local residents who have used the bus, while praising its comfort and efficiency, questioned just how widely it had been publicised within the trust as passenger numbers were low and staff weren’t sure if it was actually running.
A spokesperson for WAHT said: “We would like to thank everyone who has used the ‘Hospital Hopper’ shuttle bus service between the Alexandra Hospital and Worcestershire Royal Hospital during the pilot period over the last six months.
“We have been monitoring usage over this time and unfortunately the number of passengers who have used the service has been too low to make it financially viable longer term. Therefore we have made the decision to not extend the pilot.
“However, we are pleased that an alternative Community Transport option will be in place from early September. These will be on-demand services and will enable patients to travel to Worcestershire’s three acute hospitals from their local communities at a subsidised cost. The full details of this will be announced in due course.”
