Anger after patient transport fails to pick up '˜blinded' Camber pensioner

Coperforma were 45 minutes late to pick up Eric Hatton from his home in Badger Way for a diabetic eye test at Rye Medical Centre with his wife Megan on Thursday (May 19).

The 78-year-old grandfather could not see because of the eye drops given during the appointment and afterwards, the patient transport did not pick them up.

After waiting an hour and a half, Mrs Hatton had to traipse across Rye with her ‘blind’ husband to get cash from Jempson’s before getting a taxi back to Camber.

“I am disgusted, they [Coperforma] are not fit to be doing the job and should have the contract removed,” Megan said.

“My husband could hardly see, as it was a diabetic eye test, he had drops in his eyes, it was a good thing he had me with him.”

The Hattons moved to Camber in June last year after Mr Hatton suffered a bleed to the brain so they could be closer to family who live on Romney Marsh.

The doctors appointment in Rye was at 12pm but the patient transport was 45 minutes late.

Once they were dropped off, Mrs Hatton asked the driver if she would be waiting outside for them as the grandmother knew it would not be a long appointment, but was told it would be a different driver.

Then once the appointment was over, the couple waited for 90 minutes for the transport before getting fed up and walking to Jempson’s to get cash out for a taxi home.

The Hatton’s story is the latest in a number of complaints about Coperforma’s maladministration across the county, after it took over the patient transport service from South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECamb) in April.

Coperforma has apologised to all those affected, with chief executive Michael Clayton saying it has been ‘unacceptable’.

Mrs Hatton said it was not easy trying to cross a busy road twice with her near-blind husband and felt sorry for all the other people who have been left ‘high and dry’ by Coperforma.

“I don’t think they should be in business,” she said.

“I think it should be taken away from them and given back to SECamb, at least they knew what they were doing.

“They always picked us up and were always on time.

“The worst thing they ever did was to give it to them [Coperforma].”

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