Good news about travel costs for patients to Treliske

22nd June

GOOD NEWS for radiotherapy patients travelling daily to Treliske
A new initiative by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has this week been enthusiastically welcomed by West Cornwall HealthWatch.  Patients requiring essential daily treatment (e.g. radiotherapy), and using a voluntary transport provider (e.g. TAP or CHIN) three or more times per week, can now report to the Cashiers' Office at Treliske to receive financial assistance on production of the receipt from the provider.  This assistance is not means-tested, but is offered on the grounds of essential medical need.  
Commenting on the news Marna Blundy, Coordinator of West Cornwall HealthWatch, said:"This is a rare and wonderful piece of good news!  We have been campaigning for nearly twenty years about access to health services, and the time and expense of travelling for treatment.  So to learn - by accident when enquiring on behalf of a neighbour - that this scheme has been introduced has been a splendid surprise, and we just want everyone to know about it.  As yet this information doesn't seem to be available online, and we are not aware of any press statement from RCHT, so we are delighted to be in a position to let the public know.  Patients can phone TAP (01872 223388) for confirmation of this, and also the Cashiers' Office at Treliske (01872 252690), for full details.  We now understand that a similar arrangement has been operating for patients travelling to Derriford for some time - that being the case, we are pleased that Treliske has now caught up.  Anyone facing intensive radiotherapy treatment already has a lot to contend with, and worrying about the cost of transport can only make things worse.  We trust that the Sunrise Centre will swiftly move to let all its patients know that help is at hand here."