| My 50-mile bus trip to the doctor four miles away Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:41, 7th June 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
My 50-mile bus trip to the doctor four miles away
Hundreds of patients in Cumbria have cancelled health appointments because transport issues prevented them getting there, according to a watchdog.
Kate Rees, assistant head of service for Healthwatch in Cumbria and Lancashire, said a lack of public transport and inconvenient appointment times contributed to the problem.
Fen Watson, from Bowness-on-Solway, said she had to take a "ridiculous" 50-mile round trip by bus to get to and from her GP surgery which is just four miles away as the timetable did not allow for her to get there and back by a shorter route.
Bus operator Stagecoach said its scheduling aimed to achieve the "best balance" possible between different passengers' needs.
Watson, who no longer drives, is registered with a GP practice in Kirkbride. The bus that runs there from her home village only stops at both places a few times a day and never at times that allow her to get there and back.
She therefore takes a bus to Carlisle and gets a connection to Kirkbride and must return to Carlisle again on the way home. Having set off at 07:30 BST ahead of an 11:30 appointment, she will return home at 18:00 - a total time of 10 hours and 30 minutes.
(BBC article continues)
Hundreds of patients in Cumbria have cancelled health appointments because transport issues prevented them getting there, according to a watchdog.
Kate Rees, assistant head of service for Healthwatch in Cumbria and Lancashire, said a lack of public transport and inconvenient appointment times contributed to the problem.
Fen Watson, from Bowness-on-Solway, said she had to take a "ridiculous" 50-mile round trip by bus to get to and from her GP surgery which is just four miles away as the timetable did not allow for her to get there and back by a shorter route.
Bus operator Stagecoach said its scheduling aimed to achieve the "best balance" possible between different passengers' needs.
Watson, who no longer drives, is registered with a GP practice in Kirkbride. The bus that runs there from her home village only stops at both places a few times a day and never at times that allow her to get there and back.
She therefore takes a bus to Carlisle and gets a connection to Kirkbride and must return to Carlisle again on the way home. Having set off at 07:30 BST ahead of an 11:30 appointment, she will return home at 18:00 - a total time of 10 hours and 30 minutes.
(BBC article continues)
