We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with readers. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch. This letter comes from from David Howarth. Ed
I attended a routine blood donation session on Wednesday last week at Freshwater Memorial Hall – I have donated blood most of my adult life so have clocked up some 69 donations.
I was surprised to find that this was to be the very last session by the Isle of Wight team. Some 13 loyal staff are being made redundant.
Local sessions collect blood donations
7,000 units of blood are donated annually on the Island at a number of local sessions convenient for the donors near their homes or workplaces.
Indeed these friendly sessions are part of community living, and an opportunity to meet like-minded people. The team have worked together for almost 19 years.
Cutting costs
Well, apparently this is another “cost saving” measure. Future sessions will be conducted by mainland staff at three giant centres at Ryde, Cowes and Newport at monthly intervals.
I wonder how the cost benefit calculation was made – did it take into account future ferry costs, costs of redundancies, and possible benefits to be paid to out of work Island staff?
The prospect of attending super sized sessions at Cowes Yacht Haven sounds rather daunting, and a 30 mile round trip to contemplate.
Lack of consultation?
Of course, blood donors happily give their time (and blood) at no cost to the service at all. In these circumstances, why were we not consulted on the proposals?
It certainly seems that we have been taken for granted.
