You Might As Well Be Treated By A Vet….

When Derek Goody’s 63 year old father was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, he was given between 3 and 12 months to live. A radiotherapy appointment was made for him.

And then…

However, his treatment was cancelled without any warning, or a word of explanation, and it was left to Mr Goody Jnr to deliver the heartbreaking news to his father that doctors had given up on him.

Mr Goody, 41, explained: “On September 18, I rang the hospital to confirm my dad was being picked up by hospital transport to attend his appointment. It was then I was told his appointment had been cancelled by the consultant.

“The hospital couldn’t explain why, so I asked the secretary if the consultant could ring me personally for an explanation. as my dad would be sitting at home waiting.

“I was then told the hospital had not sent a letter out to my dad explaining why his appointment was cancelled, nor had the hospital transport been informed as they later arrived to pick him up.”

Oh, yes. That’s the bureaucracy we all know and love – uncaring, incompetent and expensive!

Mr Goody got a call from the consultant, Dr Madhavan, that afternoon, explaining the hospital had cancelled the appointment as they felt they couldn’t do anything more for him.

But they neglected to actually tell him. Or the transport company.

And why not?

Simple: Mr Goody wasn’t the customer, to whom a debt of care was owed.

The transport company weren’t human beings, who deserved better than to be jerked around by the system, they were just part of the system itself.

Mr Goody, of Daniel’s Close, Chafford Hundred, said: “Dr Madhavan rang me and simply said because of the worsening condition of my dad, there would be no visible improvement with his tumour so he had decided not to treat him and was discharging him from his clinic to be put back under the care of his local GP.

“It was left to me to break the news to my dad that he would not be receiving radiotherapy treatment, which my dad knew full well could have prolonged his life to an extent.”

Well, Mr Goody Jr, you’re not the customer either.

Oh, you might think you are, because you pay – by force – but you aren’t. You see, they know full well you’ve nowhere else to go, and complaints will be useless. You aren’t the customer – the government is.

Mr Goody is furious at the treatment his father, who lives in Aveley, has received.

He added: “I am extremely angry and upset at how the whole business was handled and the uncaring attitude.

“My dad knows damn well he is virtually a dead man walking with not even a slight chance to live longer.

“This is a shoddy and disgraceful affair. So much for looking after people.”

‘Looking after people’ isn’t in the NHS’s remit any longer. Now, the system looks after itself…

Check out the statement from the hospital:

Pat Stone, a spokesman for Southend Hospital, said: “We are very sorry that Mr Goody’s son is not happy with his father’s treatment. We have had a number of discussions with Mr Goody Jnr to explain the situation in detail.”

There’s no indication in the story that Mr Goody Snr is non compos mentis, or so incapacitated as to be unable to act for himself, so why are the NHS drones talking about his treatment with his son?

What happened to patient confidentiality?

The post title is only half-ironic. I’ve always had great treatment from the vets I’ve used. Why not? I’m paying, after all. And there are other vets…