Doncaster surgical procedure sends most cancers textual content as an alternative of festive message
A GP surgical procedure unintentionally informed sufferers they’d aggressive lung most cancers as an alternative of wishing them a merry Christmas.
Askern Medical Observe despatched the textual content message to folks registered with the surgical procedure in Doncaster on 23 December.
Sarah Hargreaves, who was ready for medical take a look at outcomes, stated she “broke down” when she obtained the textual content, solely to be later informed it was despatched in error.
The group which runs the surgical procedure stated no person was obtainable for remark. The centre has virtually 8,000 sufferers.
The primary textual content informed recipients they’d “aggressive lung most cancers with metastases”, a kind of secondary malignant progress.
It directed sufferers to fill out a DS1500 type, which permits folks with terminal illnesses to assert sure advantages.
Nevertheless, about an hour later folks obtained a second textual content telling them it was an error and it was meant to want them a merry Christmas as an alternative.
Ms Hargreaves stated after she obtained the unique textual content whereas she was out purchasing, she “felt sick to my tooth and broke down”.
She added: “I had simply had a mole eliminated and was awaiting a consequence from a biopsy and I had been to hospital as my smear take a look at got here again irregular, so sure, I used to be very fearful.”
Regardless of repeated calls to the surgical procedure, she stated she struggled to get via to talk to somebody.
Carl Chegwin, one other of the surgical procedure’s customers who, alongside together with his mom, obtained the textual content, stated he was left upset by the out-of-the-blue message which “was sufficient to interrupt somebody”.
“The very first thing I believed was, ‘is that this some type of sick joke?'” Mr Chegwin stated.
“It fully took me abruptly… It isn’t typically I am going to the medical doctors, then out of the blue, it is most cancers. I am sat there scratching my head pondering, ‘I do smoke, do they know one thing I do not?'”
“They’ve simply informed folks a number of days earlier than Christmas they have terminal lung most cancers. They can not try this.”
In the meantime, a lady, who requested to not be named, stated she was left feeling “very fearful” concerning the textual content, with relations just lately having checks about ongoing chest points.
“I rang the medical doctors however on maintain as regular. So, I walked spherical as I dwell across the nook and there have been, I might say, six folks all there panicking as they’d bought the identical textual content.”
The second textual content apologised for the error, with some sufferers getting repeat messages from the surgical procedure.
“What if that message was meant for somebody, after which they’re informed it is a Christmas message, then once more informed, ‘oh no, that was truly meant for you’?” Mr Chegwin requested.
“If it is certainly one of their admins that is despatched out a mass textual content, I would not be trusting them to empty the bins.”
