A patient has “lost all faith” in the Royal Mail after receiving a letter about an upcoming operation the day after the surgery took place.

Meanwhile, another resident only received information about how to apply for a vital benefit payment on the day of the deadline to apply.

Angry residents in Paddock Wood say deliveries have been irregular for some time, sometimes weeks apart – a problem the postal service has put down to staffing problems.

Fliss Batty, 40, who lives in the town, received a letter confirming the date of upcoming surgery, after it had taken place.

The urgent letter was sent 1st Class on January 31, meaning it should have been received the following day. But it did not arrive until February 3.

Fortunately, Mrs Batty had been told the date over the phone, and so managed to make the appointment, but the letter contained important pre-op information about whether to eat, drink, take existing medication, and if the patient could drive afterwards.

Mrs Batty, who has lived in Paddock Wood for more than 15 years, said: “It is only because I know all the information because I've been there twice before that it didn't matter, but for someone having the procedure for the first time I imagine that would have been scary turning up at the hospital.

“I am autistic so dealing with change and uncertainty is something I struggle with at the best of times, so not having that information would have been really quite distressing.”

Now, Mrs Batty is waiting on two appointment letters for upcoming procedures, and fears they will never turn up.

“I don’t expect them to arrive,” Mrs Batty added.

To mitigate the problems, Mrs Batty signed up for virtual letters via the NHS app. The hard copies of the virtual letters, dated January 19 and January 25, have still not arrived.

“It’s only because I asked for that electronic copy that I even know when the appointment is,” Mrs Batty added.

Likewise, Mrs Batty’s husband, Karel Batty, 60, first learned about an upcoming hospital appointment after receiving a text asking him to confirm whether he was attending, as he had not received a letter.

“I had to ring the hospital and find out what it was about,” Mr Batty added.

The pair expressed their anger with the situation and say they can “no longer rely on Royal Mail.”

Wherever possible, the couple request items to be sent via Evri or Yodel, even if it costs them more, just to ensure the item arrives.

Before the pandemic, Mr and Mrs Batty had a regular post service, but during Covid, their deliveries were reduced to one or two days a week which they felt was understandable.

However, since then the service has been worse than ever.

The couple, having endured more than two years of postal problems, raised the issue with their MP, Greg Clark, because mail sent 24 and 48-hour tracked was taking a fortnight to get through.

Mr Clark was told addresses served by Tonbridge Delivery Office were taking place at least every other day and that delays were due to colleagues being away from work through sickness as well as a high number of vacancies.

He told KentOnline: “I am aware of the deterioration to the postal service in Paddock Wood and appreciate how frustrating it is.

“I do think the service is unacceptable and should not have been able to deteriorate. I have asked for a meeting with the Post Office nationally to urge that steps are taken to resolve the problem.

“Additionally, I have asked the hospital trust to see if appointment letters can be sent by email, where patients choose, to avoid missed appointments.”

Mr Batty was unhappy with the response from Royal Mail and said: “They've not been delivering every other day, it’s every other week.”

While he does not blame postal workers on the ground, He said: “There’s clearly something terribly wrong at the office that’s stopping people from staying there.”

The couple spoke to some of their posties and were told some were leaving before their probation ended.

A Royal Mail postman described similar problems to KentOnline in December. The worker said: “The truth is I am fed up with what Royal Mail is doing. I am fed up with the way they treat their posties and the way they treat the public.

“I have lost count of the faces who have already gone. I have seen grown men in tears because they can’t cope.

“I feel sorry for the youngsters coming in. So many leave when they realise how bad it is.”

Before Christmas, people living in Maidstone, Malling and Medway were also hit by a slew of postal delays. One Gills FC fan only received his season ticket three months after the first game kicked off while others complained of missing birthday cards.

At one point Mr Batty complained to Royal Mail and was told he may not have any post but the next day a huge pile of mail arrived. Now, Mr Batty says he tends to only receive post the day after he complains.

“I feel let down – we want a really reliable service, but it is reduced to second or third-rate service, with a frequency you would expect if you lived on an island in the middle of nowhere. It is once a week if you are lucky,” he said.

On one occasion the pair paid for the Royal Mail Keepsafe service – where the postal service holds onto your mail while you are away. However, upon returning from their holiday, they discovered so much post they struggled to open the front door, and three packages, left outside in the rain, were ruined.

Now the couple say they simply “do not trust the service.”

“It’s a worry as urgent letters can be sent but not received in the correct timeframes and important documents are not being mailed on time...”

Opinion: Royal Mail’s days are numbered as postal service declines

Another resident of Paddock Wood has also been impacted by the issues.

The mother, who did not want to be named, received a letter to apply for her child’s personal independence payment (PIP) – which is a benefit to help with everyday life if you have an illness, disability or mental health condition – on the date of the deadline.

The parent then rang the PIP team, who told her the paperwork should have been filled in and sent back by that date.

Fortunately the PIP office staff were understanding about her predicament, but she said: “If the form couldn’t have been completed then my son would not have got his personal independence payment which is a benefit for disabled adults.”

“With PIP he can have his sixth form payment covered and transport to school paid for. If we didn’t have it, we would have to start the process all over again.

“For any carers, delayed paperwork can make life stressful as you have to wait for the letter.

“If you call the PIP office to see if you have been awarded PIP, they don’t always let you know over the phone and will tell you to wait for the letter – which is very stressful when important letters are delayed getting to you.”

Business owner Jessica Manuel, 33, who lives in Paddock Wood, has also spoken of the “anxiety” caused by irregular deliveries.

She said: “I have had important letters delayed which I received on February 16, backdated as far as January 31.”

Mrs Manuel, who runs Jessica Laura Aesthetics and Aim Graphics London, says she receives post every seven to 10 days which is impacting her ability to respond to important documents and reminders about filing accounts.

“It’s a worry as urgent letters can be sent but not received in the correct timeframes and important documents are not being mailed on time,” she added.

Mrs Manuel posted on her local community group to see if other people were having the same problem.

She was met with a flood of comments from Paddock Wood residents who were also experiencing issues.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We confirm there have been delays to the usual service in Paddock Wood because of staff sickness.

“We endeavour to deliver to homes daily but where this has not been possible we rotate routes to keep delays to a minimum.

“We are actively recruiting and expect service to return to normal soon.”