Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been forced to remind its medical staff not to tell patients by telephone that they have cancer. The warning comes following a complaint after an “inappropriate” slip by member of staff at the trust.

At a meeting of the trust’s board of directors, the chairman, Jim Morrison, expressed his shock at the need to issue such a warning. Helen Ashley, the trust’s chief executive, said: “That was a very special case. It was done with best intent.”

The incident was the subject of one of 82 complaints made to the trust between October and December 2011. Although this figure was up on the same period of the previous year, Ms Ashley said that the increase was not as bad as it could have been. She also said: “During the last two quarters at least we have seen an increase in the number of services being provided. Therefore in real terms there is a reduction in the number of complaints.”

Written exclusively for The Life Dept | Live Longer | 1 February 2012

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