AIBU to feel a bit fobbed off by response to complaint?

[SummerBaby8]

Sorry for long post, trying to give context.

I attended a&e at 9 weeks pregnant due to dehydration. I’m in my 30’s and my partner is listed as my next of kin. My mother became aware of my admission and contacted a&e. The treating Dr informed my mother I was pregnant. I had not and did not intend to disclose my pregnancy to family for various reasons.

Dr immediately realised their error and informed me. I was very unwell but expressed how upset I was. Following this my partner had to leave for work. When I woke, my mother had attended and been informed of where I was and allowed to sit and wait for me to wake.

Following my discharge, I submitted a complaint. The hospital completed an investigation but didn’t contact me to ask about the impact this has had on me as part of this. Their response is that the Dr is sorry and has been spoken to.

Whilst I understand the pressures the NHS are facing and that people make mistakes, and cannot undo what has been done, AIBU to feel their response is a bit half hearted?

@InveterateWineDrinker i do hope you upheld your duty of care and reported each and everyone of the reprobate consultants you’ve had the pleasure of working with to the GMC!

Absolutely. The last one I got struck off was the Registrar who was reading referral letters, complete with patient identifiable information, on the 42 bus going from Manchester Royal Infirmary into the city centre, in a way that anyone sitting behind him could read the same. Five minutes of video from my mobile phone and he didn't even contest it.

The GMC has offices in Manchester. Draw your own conclusions about my starting point for this.

Someone from the hospital complaints team spending an hour with OP, would be doing their job, could glean some useful feedback to inform procedure and training and may make a patient feel better after a bad experience. That’s not a waste of their time.

I think this warranted disciplinary proceedings against the doctor - by which I don't mean they should have been sacked/struck off, but they should have been formally warned.

I also don't like this attitude that pervades public services of "oh there's nothing else we could have done, you can't prevent accidents!". There are any number of things that could be done. Training could be improved to incorporate real-life scenarios. Patients could be asked at the point of admission who they want contacted. A named member of staff for each ward could be responsible for contacting families. Those are just off the top of my head.

If the NHS can't afford to do these things, or doesn't want to, then that's a different story. But don't throw your hands up and pretend this is just one of those things.

The responses clearly missed the point that the Dr breached patient confidentiality which is actually a genuine issue. Her mother should not have ever been told about her pregnancy. They don't know what her relationship with her mother is like, for all they know she could be in a court battle with her. It doesn't have to be noted in the system, patient medical history should not be disclosed to anyone including family without consent.
It doesn't matter if OP wasn't harmed, how do you know, it's not something to be overlooked as there may be a time it could actually harm a patient with their sloppy care. These policies are there for a reason.

This all sounds a bit odd to me. How did your mother find out you were in A&E? Why did the doctor even speak to her on the phone? Very unusual for a doctor to speak to family members in that situation - it would usually be a nurse. The doctor was of course in the wrong to give out information about you, but you have received an apology for that.

Her visiting you and being allowed to sit and wait until you woke up sounds totally normal UNLESS the staff had been instructed that you didn't want visitors or, more specifically, that you didn't want your mother to be allowed in. Had that happened?

Nurses don't police who comes in to see patients. I visited my brother recently. I walked onto the ward, gave his name and asked which room he was in. They told me and I went in to see him. Anyone can walk into a hospital...

It's not that unusual.

It’s a clear breach of patient confidentiality and it shouldn’t have happened. In saying that, mistakes do happen, the doctor has been spoken to (and will be very unlikely to make the same mistake again) but they should have give you a full and unreserved apology for the mistake and you should have been asked for your input and given the opportunity to express your upset at this (if it wasn’t in your complaints letter). If you’re not happy, go back to them or contact the public services ombudsman. Investigations are never about apportioning blame, but to ensure that there is learning from incidents and that patients are listened to and given a heartfelt apology. I would be upset too.

The Dr informed you straight away of their mistake and apologised. The hospital nvestigated and apologised. You can't get blood from a stone

That’s actually not true. There is often a huge amount you can do after a mistake has been made - there should be actions taken to try and prevent the same thing ever happening again e.g. re-education of the whole team on the importance of patient confidentiality, how to deal with relatives, not giving private and personal information out over the phone, adding notes to records as you say. There are often a whole range of improvement actions for an error.

😳

What do you want? The doctor made a mistake. They apologised. There isn't anything else they can do. What outcome were you expecting?

So how did your mother find out ? You didn't answer the question . I'm guessing she is listed as your next of kin legally , as you're not married ?

FlabbergastedByTheGorgons , FFS don't they whine over every mortal thing !!!

Actually strongly disagree with previous responses.

If course you have a right to be upset. That is terrible

If you feel harm or distressed was caused to you I think you should contact PALS and look into making a legal claim for compensation.

How do they or you know it has not led to serious consequences?
The impact on OP’s mental health could be significant.

I did not tell any family members about my pregnancy so early on and yes would have been very upset and worried if anyone had told them.

To anyone saying there should be a note on file not to tell the mother that should not be necessary, it should be the default.

Maybe some of the very dry training courses about legal implications of breaching confidentiality could include a reminder that the threat of legal consequences is not the only reason to maintain patient confidentiality and respect privacy.

I can think of very many reasons why this scenario could be distressing. I’m sorry that it happened @SummerBaby8 and hope that you are recovering.

The problem with this is that damages paid as compensation have to be calculated based on the actual harm suffered and, to be blunt, there isn't much to quantify here.

Geo45 well done. You have just given her exactly what she wanted.

And rightly so. Harm doesn't always have to be physical.

Your medical information is private and it should not be given out to anyone without your express permission. She does not need to specifically say no info should be given out as it should NOT be given out at all.

Perhaps you live a sheltered life. Very many people don’t have positive relationships with their families.

The NHS is on its knees. It was an error, they said sorry. I am very pleased they have not wasted any more time than that and instead concentrate on making people better or saving lives.

This is a data breach. The NHS has failed to meets it's data protection obligations. You have experienced emotional distress as a result. The basis for a claim is there.

Data protection obligations exist for a reason.

I agree it's an error, but it is a huge error. As a Dr it should be bread and butter. You don't disclose patient info.