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?

Well it was a mistake, they apologised and have learned a lesson from it I’m sure. What do you expect?

InveterateWineDrinker watch em shriek when NHS is gone. Compensation for this is ludicrous, no wonder NHS is on its knees and staff quitting in droves and recruitment at an all time low because of people who would claim for an eyelash falling out of they could !!! Who wants to work with one eye on the law courts instead of both eyes on the patient. Those who claim for sod all have taken the heart and vocation out of nursing.

The OP has already explained why they had chosen not to tell family members about the pregnancy. It is entirely her and her partner's choice and she has explained the good reason why.

@SummerBaby8 I would definitely follow this up with a complaint to PALS. Having worked in clinical negligence the NHS still hasn't got its collective head round how a proper explanation, apology and detailed plan of how the same situation could be avoided in future goes a long way.

@YellowAsteroid you do realise that some pregnant women cannot keep even a glass of water down if they're suffering from severe morning sickness. Why do you think Catherine, Princess of Wales was hospitalised during her first pregnancy?

I'm not sure why you're addressing this to me when I've made it quite clear that there is unlikely to be much in the way of compensation. My own view is that the sooner the NHS is gone the better, but that's not what we're talking about here.

The NHS being 'on its knees' does not exempt medical and clinical professionals from the law. Nothing does, and the fact that they DO NOT GET THIS is the problem.

Well sweetie you will get your wish soon enough
I just hope you are wealthy enough to pay for treatment or you are in for a hell of a shock!

You know best.

You would pay for insurance if the NHS no longer existed. Most people would be able to afford insurance. We currently pay for the NHS through tax. It is not free.

They have to be bloody mindful readers as well as having the ability to cure people!

Ok I’ve donned my hard hat as I know this is going to piss people off…

I work with in pregnancy HC and I’m getting to the point I really can’t be arsed working in this setting anymore. I don’t know if pregnancy makes pregnant women feel as if they are the Queen of Sheba and they must be obeyed and moddy coddled or society in general is becoming more unpleasant - yet I don’t see this in other departments. It was never like this a few years back.

Almost daily I see women receive news that’s they would rather not and many of those times the mother refocuses her pain and directs it as anger at the sonographer or midwives. My sonographer colleague was called a liar the other day and asked if she knew what she was doing and the mother requested an English born sonographer - when my colleague had spotted the baby was actually very poorly. The sonogrpher has been here 17 years and is excellent. This is not ok.

When a sonogrpher finds something not good - one of the thoughts that go through their head beyond what is happening to the baby is - how can I make sure this women isn’t going to make a complaint about me. One wrong word or even misheard tone of voice can set someone off. Even calling the baby ‘he’ can garner a complaint - when the sonographer didn’t want to say ‘it’ because mum wanted a surprise.

Yes there was a data breech. The hospital have said they will talk to him. The OP is out for punishment on the Dr for telling her mum - when he most likely had been looking after her but in reality she is upset that her family found out before she made her choices. So the Dr is getting it in the neck instead.

Im honestly sick to death of it and can’t wait to leave

And perhaps you mix with, shall we say, unusual people.

How did your mum know you where there in the first place?

I see why you feel fobbed off, OP. It doesn’t seem like they’re that bothered that it happened and aren’t interested in trying to minimize chances of a recurrence. I would have thought not talking about someone’s condition to non-staff except where explicitly permitted would be the standard way of doing things and so there should be questions asked about why that wasn’t what happened here (and so extra training, as you suggest, would possibly be appropriate).

It may be, though, that the lack of resources in the NHS mean that it just sn’t a concern. That they don’t have the resources to train staff properly in drug administration, triage, or any number of other things that are far more directly likely to lead to loss of life, so an error like this is just brushed away.

Have you ANY idea how much healthcare costs? It's a thousand pounds a week in a nursing home for basic care. How much do you think all the add -ons including specialist medicines , equipment, diagnostics etc etc etc actually cost.? What If you are chronically ill and need months of hospital care ? People will die in greater numbers than ever and they will die young because of obesity related co morbidities ! Be careful what you wish for. If you don't work for the NHS then you're not in a position to make these generalisations. I strongly suspect that you may be involved with law, but I have been known to be wrong.

Oh stop it. You are sounding vindictive.

I agree.

Working in the nhs is absolutely diabolical. Private health care will vastly improve working conditions for staff.

I agree. This doctor apologised to OP about telling her mother about the pregnancy, but then someone (possibly the doctor, or maybe other members of staff) told her mother where she was and allowed her in to sit with her. So this was more than one mistake.

When I used to respond to complaints, I would apologise and then explain the steps that we had taken to ensure that such errors would not recur in future.

I would also tell them what the next steps were if they were not satisfied with my response.

I agree. In some cases this sort of lapse could put someone in physical danger from an estranged relative.

No it doesn't. There were obviously valid reasons why OP didn't tell her mum about her pregnancy and didn't want her to visit her in hospital. Not disclosing confidential information about patients is surely a basic requirement of working as an NHS doctor.

If you don't think that a clear data breach is an issue, the sooner you leave the medical profession, the better.

This isn't the OP blaming the doctor for something entirely beyond his control, he released her confidential medical information without her permission.

Only because there will be hardly any patients to treat as the vast majority of the population cannot afford private healthcare, even with an insurance model.