"Not good enough"

I am not the patient but the patient's mother and live over 300 miles away.

My daughter was given the results of breast cancer tests on Friday 13th Jan. when she was informed it was a hormonal invasive breast cancer with lymph nodes involved and that surgery stage 3, and both surgery and chemo would be involved in her treatment.

She was then informed a consultation meeting would take place on Monday 15th Jan (her birthday) among staff to agree as to how to proceed either surgery or chemo first.

After 2 phone calls by my daughter she was told there was no result as yet, but that she would be phoned at 9.30pm today without fail with the information, as to when and which.

At 10.30 after no phone call, she phoned and was told no news today, but to phone to-morrow.

This is a disgusting way to treat a very distress person, who is in shock at the results, and her very anxious family.

If there was any doubt about when the clinical meeting could take place the information should have been put in the form of "we will let you know by (say Wed) at the latest, not the tomorrow, tomorrow it.

We appreciate emergencies and pressure on the NHS, but please, please treat people with dignity and respect and realise that quick prompt information is essential to them, when they are stressed beyond belief. I though as she was in Manchester with Christies on the doorstep service would be of a better standard.