Doncaster surgery sends cancer text instead of festive message
A GP surgery accidentally told patients they had aggressive lung cancer instead of wishing them a merry Christmas.
Askern Medical Practice sent the message to people registered with the Doncaster surgery on 23 December.
Mrs H told me about this story while we were tootling down the M5 towards Devon this morning. "Was it ours?" was my automatic reaction, because I wouldn't have been astounded if it had been ours.
Then I wondered how many other people would have reacted similarly before being told which GP surgery it was. Not a small number is my guess.
8 comments:
Is there more disenchantment with the Notional Health Service than the mass media let on?
It certainly deserves it. What will they do as the Long Lockdown and Long Vaxx tolls become unmistakable?
The brute fact of it is only enough for a wry smile. What lifts it into a higher dimension
is the bit on the follow-up message which says "Our message to you should have read...". It's better than anything you'd find in a scripted comedy.
dearieme - we know two couples who clapped the NHS but now show hints of disenchantment as GPs still show no sign of offering a reasonable service. I don't know about lockdown and vax tolls, but suspicions may be growing. I think people may scour the internet more widely than the mass media or officialdom would like.
Sam - yes, it would be perfect for a comedy show based on a dysfunctional GP surgery.
Perhaps some bright spark will write a new film script "Carry on up the NHS"? There's plenty of scope for parody and irony but I rather suspect the financial backers might steer clear of such a subject - knighthoods don't grow on trees you know.
Hang on a mo. Are we to infer that in this particular GP surgery, if someone actually has advanced (and probably terminal) lung cancer, they send that information out by text message? Really?
It’s the envy of the world, isn’t it!
Unbelievable.
DJ - it's a stonking great clue isn't it? The NHS is an excellent vehicle for a new comedy, but as you say - knighthoods don't grow on trees.
Peter - that was my second reaction. Not even a phone call from the doctor. Years ago it would have been face to face.
Re face to face information; even that can be cocked up.
My mother arrived late for an appointment (traffic problems) and, when she gave her name, was told by a puzzled receptionist that she was marked down as having already been in to see the doctor. It turned out that a woman with a very similar name had misheard the call, gone in and received my mother’s diagnosis of cancer.
It must have been a plausible scenario for her, because she didn’t question what she was told or raise any concerns about accuracy; when my mother came out from her consultation they were still trying to contact the unfortunate woman to let her know of the mistake.
Macheath - blimey, that's unfortunate. Taking the diagnosis into consideration, I suppose they could have been more careful about identity, but perhaps that's being too picky. One step at a time.
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