HEALTH board bosses are set to take action over fears patients in Inverclyde missed vital hospital appointments due to a significant postal backlog.
Hundreds of people across Inverclyde raised concerns with local politicians after they were left waiting weeks for vital letters, including NHS appointment slips, in the run up to Christmas.
Some desperate locals even resorted to queuing outside Inverclyde's Royal Mail sorting office on Knowe Road, Greenock in an attempt to get urgent mail that had failed to be delivered to their doors.
After concerns were raised about the delays causing Inverclyde residents to miss medical appointments, the area's MP Martin McCluskey raised the issue directly with the local health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Health board chiefs are now investigating ways to make sure that appointment letters reach people as quickly as possible.
Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey said: “I’m pleased that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have taken these concerns seriously and are now actively looking at how NHS mail can be better identified and tracked.
“Before Christmas, Inverclyde experienced significant mail disruption, and I heard directly from constituents who were worried about missing important hospital appointments through no fault of their own.
“This is about making sure patients aren’t penalised when systems fail.
"Exploring better tracking and identification of NHS letters is a sensible and practical step, and I welcome the health board’s commitment to engage with Royal Mail to see what improvements can be made.”
In December, amid the postal delays, Mr McCluskey visited the Greenock sorting office to speak to staff about the disruption, and get an understanding of the problem.
He has continued to highlight the issues caused by delayed mail following his visit to the sorting office, and has spoken to postal services minister Blair McDougall about the matter.
Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan was also swamped with calls from constituents affected in the run up to Christmas, and wrote to both Royal Mail and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to call for action.
In its response to the MP, the health board confirmed that the issue has now been investigated.
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson explained that while most of its mail is currently processed through Royal Mail’s 'overspray' system, where the postal service uplifts and franks NHS letters on its behalf.
Discussions are now underway to explore barcoding options that could improve the identification and tracking of NHS correspondence.
A meeting has been arranged between the health board's procurement team and Royal Mail’s account manager to fully explore the barcoding option and consider how NHS mail can be more easily identified within the postal system, even when disruption occurs.
Mr McCluskey, who is a former member of the health board, says he will continue to monitor progress with the system.