A cancer patient making regular trips from Bury to The Christie claims a transport firm which takes her to hospital appointments has not improved — nearly a year after she first complained.

Susan Kay, aged 64, of Woodhill Road, Brandlesholme, uses an ambulance service provided by Arriva Transport Solutions, and says she continues to arrive late for appointments because her transport is late or does not even arrive.

She is undergoing chemotherapy at the hospital after her cancer spread to her lung cavity, and relies on the service to take her to and from the hospital in Withington.

Mrs Kay’s plight was highlighted in April last year, and she sent a letter to Arriva on December 9 to express her ongoing dissatisfaction, and says she has not received a reply.

Mrs Kay travels to The Christie for treatment in a three-week cycle. She says of the past nine times that she has used the service, she has regularly had to call Arriva to inquire where her transport was.

On one occasion, she was told they could not give her a time when the driver would arrive “because he was having his dinner”. She eventually turned up to hospital an hour late.

Mrs Kay said: “You get very stressed waiting for the ambulance, and when you are going home you see the same people who have been waiting for hours.”

Dennis Hajdukiewicz, of Greater Manchester Arriva Transport Solutions, said they had received a complaint, but said Mrs Kay has received an improved service.

He said: “An investigation was undertaken that highlighted areas where we could take action to improve the service for Mrs Kay and the other patients.

“We wrote apologising for any delays she had experienced and advised her of the actions we had put in place to improve the service. Since December, the service provided to Mrs Kay has improved.”