Doctor can't see you cos you're DEAD?

[Pink_Panther]

WHAT A PALAVER!



A cancer patient from Blackburn was left unable to book a hospital appointment because medical records showed that he was dead.

Alan Campbell, 63, of Little Harwood, tried to arrange a visit through the NHS Choose & Book system after he feared his recurring skin cancer had spread to his throat, Lancashire Telegraph reports.

Campbell said: "I got a letter with the reference and rang on Saturday. I was told I could see a consultant on June 29. But then they said, 'Sorry, we can't give you an appointment, our records show you are deceased'.

"I said 'you're joking, I'm talking to you aren't I?'. But they said, 'You'll have to go back to your GP to get it sorted out'."

He added: "I couldn't believe it. I was flabbergasted. I'm not one for complaining, but when somebody says you're dead it's not on."

Janice Horrocks, executive director of Engagement Partnerships and Operational Development, said: "We are sorry for the distress experienced by this patient. We are currently holding a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding this case and are working with the patient to secure an appointment."

[HobbyHabitat]

do you remember our last government getting everyone seen for surgery withing 18 months?.....did,nt they do well?....errr no, what they actually did was, if for any reason they could not operate in that time, you were taken off the list. we have had a hospital contact us to say that they must change the date of the first appointment (bring it forward) or the computer will take the record off the list.........what a great way to keep numbers down and show the people what a great job you are doing...not. as for the gentleman in your post panther, i would guess he had not contacted them in the last 18 months, so the computer crossed him off. probably looking at success rates for that hospital and went with percentages and wrongly thought he was dead

[craig7501]

Similar to these stories then.

Story 1. 'I'm not dead', says gas bill gran

Nobody likes receiving bills - but one Preston grandmother couldn't believe it when a letter from British Gas arrived informing her she was dead.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Frances Tootell's death were greatly exaggerated.

Pensioner Mrs Tootell, of Gill House Avenue, got the letter just before Christmas which informed her it would be the final bill.

The letter from the energy giant went on to say: "Further bills will be directed to the executor in accordance with your instruction."

Mrs Tootell said: "It's like getting your own obituary. I have made a joke of it and I checked my pulse and thought, 'Well I'm not dead.' But it was a shock.

"And they have cancelled my direct debit and not taken the money for December so it must have been cancelled by them.

"Why should I have to pay double next month?"

When Mrs Tootell phoned the company for an explanation, she was told that they had not received any information saying she was dead and to write a letter of complaint.

Mrs Tootell, who has been a customer of British Gas all her working life, said: "Computers only get what's fed into them so somebody has put it in. I think it is disgusting really.

"But they've not cut the gas off which is one thing. I don't know who they think is using it."

A spokesman for British Gas: "I am really sorry we have caused Mrs Tootell such concern.

"This was down to human error when closing her late husband's account. We are writing to her to apologise and will be arranging a goodwill payment."

Story 2: Hospital wrongly tells daughter mum is dead

A devastated daughter thought her mum was dead for FIVE hours - before bungling hospital bosses admitted they had got the wrong person.

Susie Dennison was called by staff at Royal Lancaster Hospital (RLI) to say her mum, 80-year-old Dorothy Noon, had passed away in the early hours.

The stunned daughter broke the news to the rest of her family and had begun to think of her mother's funeral.

But when she called back to the hospital five hours later, she was told they had made the mistake and her mum was very much alive.

Today, an investigation was under way into how the error was made.

Susie said: "We thought mum was progressing so I was shocked to be phoned in the early hours to say she had died.

"That's when I did my genuine grieving for my mum. Now that part of grieving has been taken away from me and my family.

"The cruel thing is that now if, God forbid, my mum does die, I'm not going to believe anyone until I've seen her with my own eyes."

Dorothy, a great grandmother from Scotforth, Lancaster, had a stroke while walking her dog to Hala newsagents on January 10. She was admitted to the RLI stroke unit.

But on January 18, her daughter was woken by a phone call to say her mum had passed away.

Five hours later she called RLI back to be left gobsmacked when she was told they had got the wrong person.

"Someone rang back and said, 'I don't know how to say this but it wasn't your mum who died. We made a mistake'," said Susie who then had to tell her relatives of the error.

"Surely if someone dies, the hospital checks the name on their wrist band or above their bed before informing the family?"

Jackie Holt, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust's director of nursing, said: "We're so sorry to have upset this family.

"Whenever a relative is in hospital, it is a worrying time and our staff feel terrible that a human error has caused greater distress.

"We have met with the family and will share the findings of our internal investigation with them once it is complete.

"If there are any other concerns they wish to raise with us, we are happy to discuss these directly with them."

Dorothy, a great grandmother from Scotforth, Lancaster, had a stroke while walking her dog to Hala newsagents on January 10. She was admitted to the RLI stroke unit, but on January 18 her daughter was woken by a call to say her mum had passed away. Five hours later she called RLI back – to be told she was still alive.

“Someone rang back and said, ‘I don’t know how to say this but it wasn’t your mum who died. We made a mistake,’” said Susie who then had to tell her relatives of the error.

“Surely if someone dies, the hospital checks the name on their wrist band or above their bed before informing family?”

Sorry

Jackie Holt, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust’s director of nursing, said: “We’re so sorry to have upset this family. Whenever a relative is in hospital, it is a worrying time and our staff feel terrible that a human error has caused greater distress.

“We have met with the family and will share the findings of our internal investigation with them once it is complete.

“If there are any other concerns they wish to raise with us, we are happy to discuss these directly with them.”