Family spends up to £800/month on train travel to get their child to cancer treatment

[johntea]

A MUM who has been spending up to £800 a month on rail journeys to allow her daughter to receive NHS treatment for a rare form of eye cancer today called on the Government to provide extra help with travel costs...

“Sometimes my husband, Jamie, and I would take her every three weeks for treatment. Sometimes we had to go each week. When making appointments in advance I could get off-peak rates of £179 return but when doing that three or four times a month the cost adds up...”

Full story :-

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co....ravel_to_get_their_child_to_cancer_treatment/

Quite a sad case really, I'm sure anyone in her situation would do the same for their child but it can't be nice having financial worries on top of everything else!

Hopefully someone steps in to help out, maybe Branson can offer a free pass for the family...

Love the fact they seem to have kept all the rail tickets

 

[Simon11]

“Sometimes my husband, Jamie, and I would take her every three weeks for treatment. Sometimes we had to go each week. When making appointments in advance I could get off-peak rates of £179 return but when doing that three or four times a month the cost adds up.”

It seems that the news article is stretching the truth....

Firstly, I don't understand why they are paying £179.50- that's for an off peak ticket. Buying tickets for tomorrow, you can get advance tickets from Shipley to London for £110 at off peak times. If buying a week in advance, you should get even a better deal.

Secondly, I then get the impression that they haven't got a disabled child railcard to give the parent 1/3 off travel?

Finally, an e-mail to VTEC and I'm sure they should provide some form of discount or free travel.

 

[Mojo]

Whilst waiting in the queue at a central London hospital to pay my prescription fee I am often stuck behind people waiting to claim the cost of their tickets back from the NHS; there are regularly others in the queue travelling from locations such as Birmingham and Manchester.

 

[edwin_m]

Firstly, I don't understand why they are paying £179.50- that's for an off peak ticket. Buying tickets for tomorrow, you can get advance tickets from Shipley to London for £110 at off peak times. If buying a week in advance, you should get even a better deal.

I should think they are worried that if the appointment overruns they will be stung for a walk-up single, or they would have to book on a train much later and hang around in London with a sick child.