An email received by cancer patient Robert Fisk has exposed what he describes as a baffling level of incompetence within the NHS. Fisk, who is battling incurable cancer, shared the correspondence from his so-called world-leading hospital, which revealed that he was assigned a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in 2023 but was never informed of their name. The CNS is reportedly not even part of his medical team.
Meeting Raises Hopes, Email Dashes Them
Fisk had met with hospital staff to discuss the lack of emotional and wellbeing support for cancer patients. The meeting appeared positive, with staff seemingly acknowledging gaps in patient care. Fisk had hoped to collaborate with the hospital on improvements as part of the Daily Express's Cancer Care campaign, which advocates for better mental health support.
However, the follow-up email left him astounded. It stated that a CNS was assigned to him in 2023, around the time his treatment began, but he had never been given their name. Moreover, the assigned CNS is not part of his medical team, raising questions about the logic behind the decision.
A History of Communication Failures
Fisk recounted that during his three years as a patient, he had struggled to identify who to contact for issues related to his treatment. When he emailed all the CNSs in his medical team, he was told they were too busy to reply. This left him muddling through without knowing who to turn to for serious or minor problems.
He now has a CNS to discuss treatment issues, but the email suggests the assignment was ineffective from the start. Fisk questioned why someone would be given the role of keyworker for a patient when they have no involvement in their care, calling it a decision that smacks of incompetence.
NHS: A System Plagued by Incompetence?
Fisk argued that the NHS's failures are not simply due to its size and complexity but stem from poor decision-making. He likened the situation to being told on his first day at the Daily Express that his manager runs a kayaking centre in Wales—someone who does not know of his existence and never contacts him.
He concluded that the NHS must examine why it fails to act in patients' best interests, leaving them to battle long-term health conditions alone. Fisk called for staff to ensure patients do not have to deal with such baffling incompetence.
