"Disjointed and fragmented servcie with other..."

My wife has received her first chemotherapy three weeks ago and fell ill soon afterwards. She had to be admitted to our local hospital, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, and has been there ever since for the last 10 days.

We have received very poor communication from the consultant oncologist himself who looks after her. My wife has been left to struggle through her treatment with no direct support from her consultant at the RMH. The haematologist at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital-who is currently providing an excellent care to her has been more than excellent, she has tried to reach the oncologist at your hospital and left several messages, yet to hear from him. This experience is echoed by myself who also tried in vain to speak to the consultant directly. No notes have been faxed over despite her calls to your hospital.

It is such a pity that such a high calibre hospital cannot ensure the proper and appropriate clinical governance of its consultant. This is not only a possible medicolegal but also an un-ethical dimension to it.

I believe here the communicative approach does not match the ethos and performance of the hospital. My wife and I are deeply disappointed.

Is this because we are not private patient. Could the reason lie in the consultant being to engage with his academic performance than the basic patient care you should expect from one. The principal of the care should be that one’s taking his overarching duties as of a national leading institute at his heart as one would expect from a tertiary centre consultant serious enough.

My wife has another chemo planned for the coming Tuesday. Yet do no not know if she can receive it or even be transferred from the district hospital to there as the consultant has not even called us back to discuss.

I have to praise the Clinical oncology nurses who are excellent and helpful including Mcmillan team not to forget the registrar who also have communicated well and I owe them my gratitude.