‘Some Sort Of Sick Joke’: U.K. Medical Center’s Christmas Message To Patients Goes Disastrously Wrong

A medical practice located in the United Kingdom It accidentally revealed to potentially thousands of its clients that they were “aggressive lung cancer” two days before Christmas.

Askern Medical Practice, Doncaster, sent out a text message to all its patients on Friday before Christmas Eve. It informed them that they had received a new diagnosis. “aggressive lung cancer with metastases,” In addition to sending them a link on a DS1500 form, terminally ill persons can also fill out a form to receive certain benefits. BBC.

“Please accept our sincere apologies for the previous text message. This has been sent in error. Our message to you should have read We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,” The medical practice also sent a follow up message. Both messages are believed to have been received by the practice’s nearly 8,000 patients.

Chris Reed, a patient who received the text, was also waiting for lung cancer test results. He claimed that the first message made his partner cry. He said he tried calling the doctor’s office, but could not get through the clogged phone lines.

“They went from, ‘You’ve got lung cancer’ to ‘Merry Christmas’ in about an hour. Unbelievable,” Reed told The Telegraph.

Sarah Hargreaves claimed that she had a breakdown after receiving the first text. Hargreaves was waiting for information about tests to be run on a mole on her back.

Hargreaves “felt sick to my teeth and broke down” When she received the incorrect diagnosis text, she spoke out to the BBC “I had just had a mole removed and was awaiting a result from a biopsy and I had been to hospital as my smear test came back abnormal, so yes, I was very worried.”

Carl Chegwin spoke NPR He and his mother were the two patients who received the texts. He explained that he was beginning to wonder if the texts were being sent to other people after realizing how many people had received them. “some sort of sick joke.” He stated that he would not be returning to Askern Medical Practice.

“It completely took me by surprise,” Chegwin stated this to BBC. “They’ve just told people a few days before Christmas they’ve got terminal lung cancer. They can’t do that.”

“What if the message was meant for someone, and then they are told it’s a Christmas message, then again told, ‘oh no, that was actually meant for you,’” He added. “If it’s one of their admins that’s sent out a mass text, I wouldn’t be trusting them to empty the bins.”