Meeting sought over axed NHS bus

Protests followed the axing of the shuttle bus service

A union has demanded an urgent meeting over an NHS trust's move to reconsider scrapping a hospital link bus.

The bus served hospitals in Crawley, Horsham and Redhill, and was used by both patients and staff at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare.

The NHS trust said it was reviewing the matter and making a fresh decision for patients, but not for staff.

Unison said the move in October led to difficulties for staff. The trust said it had worked to minimise the impact.

The trust has worked closely with the small number of staff affected Surrey and Sussex Healthcare

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare said its review of the bus service did "not affect" the decision in relation to staff.

It said: "The trust has worked closely with the small number of staff affected by this change to minimise any difficulties through reimbursement of excess travel costs and providing information on alternative transport options where appropriate."

Unison spokeswoman Anna Berry said: "We are very disappointed that the trust continually fails to acknowledge the impact on staff."

She said staff had been affected by increased journey time, longer working days, and added stress.