Doncaster surgery sends cancer text instead of festive message

A GP country accidentally told patients they had assertive lung crab alternatively of wishing them a merry Christmas.

Askern Medical Practice sent the connection to radical registered with the Doncaster country connected 23 December.

Carl Chegwin, whose parent besides received the text, said helium was near upset by the out-of-the-blue connection which "was capable to interruption someone".

The radical which runs the country said cipher was disposable for comment. The centre has astir 8,000 patients.

The substance told recipients they had "aggressive lung crab with metastases", a benignant of secondary malignant growth.

It directed patients to capable retired a DS1500 form, which allows radical with terminal diseases to assertion definite benefits.

However, astir an hr aboriginal radical received a 2nd substance telling them it was an mistake and it was meant to privation them a merry Christmas instead.

"The archetypal happening I thought was, 'is this immoderate benignant of sick joke?'" Mr Chegwin said.

"It wholly took maine by surprise... It's not often I spell to the doctors, past retired of the blue, it's cancer. I'm sat determination scratching my caput thinking, 'I bash smoke, bash they cognize thing I don't?'"

"They've conscionable told radical a fewer days earlier Christmas they've got terminal lung cancer. They can't bash that."

A woman, who asked not to beryllium named, said she was near feeling "very worried" astir the text, with household members precocious having tests astir ongoing thorax issues.

"I rang the doctors but connected clasp arsenic usual. So I walked circular arsenic I unrecorded astir the country and determination were, I'd say, six radical each determination panicking arsenic they had got the aforesaid text."

The 2nd substance apologised for the error, with immoderate patients getting repetition messages from the surgery.

"What if that connection was meant for someone, and past they are told it's a Christmas message, past again told, 'oh no, that was really meant for you'," Mr Chegwin added.

"If it's 1 of their admins that's sent retired a wide text, I wouldn't beryllium trusting them to bare the bins."