Hernia patient 'did not receive' hospital letters

A man from Lincolnshire waiting for a hernia operation said he had been discharged for missing three hospital appointments he knew nothing about.

Steve Burke, 69, from Wragby, was being seen at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham for surgery to a large hernia.

He claimed he did not receive any correspondence from the hospital regarding his appointments.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust told the BBC letters had been sent to Mr Burke in December 2021, February 2022 and May 2023.

Mr Burke said he had lived with the hernia for more than seven years. He said he was initially seen at Lincoln County Hospital before being referred to the QMC, where he had several appointments.

However, after chasing a follow-up, he was told last month he had been discharged in 2022.

Since then Mr Burke has been back to the QMC in Nottingham. He said it was part of his efforts to get a second opinion about his hernia, but is still waiting for a follow-up appointment.

He described the hernia as a “camel hump” and said he had to buy jumpers four sizes bigger to fit it.

After finding out about the missed appointments, Mr Burke said he “could not believe it”.

“I would have crawled on my hands and knees to Nottingham, if I had to,” he said.

“It really is affecting my mental health. I’m getting depressed about it and fed up.”

NUH NHS Trust said it was unable to comment on individual cases but encouraged Mr Burke to contact the patient advice and liaison service.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “NHS letters and the appointments and vital information they contain are very important.

“We take their delivery very seriously and when they can be identified, such as when they are branded as "medical", we treat them as a priority.

“We will investigate any incidences where such items have not been delivered.”

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].