Elderly face barriers for hospital visits, MP says

MP Jeremy Hunt asked the government what it would do to solve the problem

Jeremy Hunt has told MPs elderly people without cars living in a rural part of his Surrey constituency are finding it difficult travelling to attend hospital appointments.

The MP for Godalming and Ash said in parliament that people in Cranleigh, Shamley Green, Bramley and Shalford struggle to get to the hospitals in Guildford and Milford due to poor bus services.

He asked: "What will the government do to help them solve this problem, which is becoming more and more difficult?"

Transport minister Simon Lightwood said the government's Bus Services Act will give local leaders "the tools that they need to shape bus services around individual needs in their community".

The legislation, which was introduced last month, aims to "empower councils" and make it harder for operators to cancel or change current services, the government said at the time.

Rosemary Hurtley, who runs a health and wellbeing charity in Cranleigh, said: "We have a lot of different needs here. We don't have a train service. People are frustrated with getting to health services.

"We're wanting more services to come here."

Mrs Hurtley, the director of the Smart Cranleigh and Cranleigh Villages charity, added: "We need to get smart to think about how a community like this can sustain itself."