Frome doctor labels bus cuts a “disgrace”

A DOCTOR at Frome Medical Practice has claimed proposed cuts to bus services to the medical centre are ‘a disgrace’.

When the medical centre opened its doors in Enos Way at the end of 2012 it was anticipated that the bus company First would increase its service to the centre which only had an hourly service.

However, the medical practice has now been told that a more frequent service will not be happening and, to further incense users, the existing bus service is to be reduced to a two-hourly service.

Senior partner of Frome Medical Practice, Dr Tina Merry said, “At the end of last year,  it was clear that First were looking at increasing the bus service to the health park by looking at changing the route of the Bath 267 service. This would have made a significant improvement in public transport to the health park.

“However, instead of the anticipated news that the health park is to have a new bus service, this week I learn that not only is that new service not going to happen, but that the existing 161/162 service is to be culled from an hourly to a two-hourly service.

“This is a disgrace. Many of the patients for both the community hospital and the medical centre are reliant on public transport. They have no other means of getting here. The health park was specifically built with ample access for buses, with both a turning area and lay by.

“This reduction in public transport to a major health facility that attracts more than 1,200 patients, relatives and visitors on a daily basis, is simply not acceptable.

“To help with the campaign against this proposal we have now started a petition for our patients to sign at the reception desk in the health centre, urging First to re-think their proposals.”