NHS ineffiency

[Dee Sa]

I have just opened a letter on behalf of Chief Stout [ Mr S] who is now blind so I have to read to him,a summary of his last hospital consultation, inside our letter is a letter for another lady and all her history/symptons and the fact they have diagnosed cancer, gave me quite a turn as for one minute I thought they meant my Stout.
This is not the first time this has happened, I have forwarded the letter to the lady, I wonder if they have ever sent ours to another person ?
Has this happened to you ?

[Hopkirk]

That is unforgivable.

The press would have a field day if they heard about that.

[bednobs]

it's not really that unforgiveable is it? At the end of the day, a person is putting letters in envelopes and accidentally folds up the next one with dee's. I hardly think the bbc are going to be interested. Next week on panorama ..... admin person puts two letters accidentally in one envelope .....

[bednobs]

also, i'd hardly call in inefficiency - the NHS has now saved the price of a stamp and passed on that price to dee - very cost efficient i would say!

[237SJ]

Shame they`ve broken the Data Protection Act and the person concerned is liable to a £11000 fine or six months in jail though. They should be more careful.

[quinie]

Happened to me once. I sent it back to the hospital with a note of explanation, so that other person didn't know about what had happened.

[Sqad]

I agree with Hopkirk.....unforgivable and totally inefficient.

I also agree with 237SJ

[craft1948]

I once got someone else's statement of calls in with my telephone bill. For a vicar he called some decidely dodgy numbers.

[Sqad]

crafty...........I do't suppose you kept them.....did you?

[Bambiagain]

I got my mother's bank statement folded up with mine when we used the same bank. It nearly gave me a heart attack before I realised the mistake as she was moving house and had taken out a bridging loan. She went ballistic.

[marval]

That is very bad, I wouldn't want a total stranger knowing my medical details.

[chelle7272]

Neither would I, but some people don't seem to care. I work in a healthy living centre with a GP surgery based in it, patients are often emailing all their medical details and asking me to pass it on the GP's.

[tenrec]

I once got a smear appointment that was for another lady who I knew. It was for the following day, so just delivered it to her with my apologies.

[Ann]

I hope you informed the hospital Dee Sa? They should apologise ...........and repay the price of the stamp!

[petal54]

one wonderd wht would've happened if the 'wrong'letters were just bind

[cathfromsaron]

it is not inefficiency, it's more likely to be exhaustion! i have cross posted appointment letters before now!

and although allegedly confidentiality *has* been breached, if you don't know the person and are not going to pass on this info, surely all is well!

and i would have returned it securely to the hospital, with a covering note of complaint!

cath x

[cathfromsaron]

*more worried that information like that is sent directly to patient's homes anyway!

cath x

[missprim]

I would say it's inefficiency.It's not newsworthy or life threatening but it's still not good and someone should be told about it so they are more careful in future.
When I picked a prescription up from the doctors once there was someone else's attached to it so I forwarded it on to the other person with a letter of explanation hoping they would take the matter up with the surgery.

[Dee Sa]

I did not return it to the hospital as I did with the last time it happened because they would have just covered it up and sent it on, I sent to the addressee with a note and said if she wanted to complain feel free to use our name &address.
When Chief Stout was an "in mate" of this hospital a porter came to take himfor a MRI scan, CS cant see so called a nurse and she took it he was scared and accompanied him for scan all the way there he was saying that the doctors had never even mentioned one and nurse said there there you will be okay, its only when the guy doing the scan was helping him on to the gurney thingy & called him Roberto [ his name is Francisco] that they realised their mistake !!! wrong patient the one thay wanted was two beds away from him.

[cathfromsaron]

have also welcomed the wrong (same named) patient into a room for an assessment (non-invasive), prior to routinely checking the address and DoB!

cath x

[Eve]

I went to pick up a repeat prescription from my docs earlier and confirmed my name and DOB. The receptionist asked me to confirm my address before handing over the prescription and I checked it as it looked brief and I wanted to check if they'd put some painkillers on as well as my other meds. It was for a completely different person, glad I did as I'd normally just shove in into my bag. She looked rather confused when I handed it back saying it wasn't me, looked like she wasn't having a good day!