London mum, 34, with terminal cancer 'scolded by NHS doctors' after slamming 'awful' care

8 April 2022, 08:55

A 34-year-old mother who is battling terminal bowel cancer has revealed she was 'called into hospital to be scolded by NHS doctors' after complaining about her 'awful' experience online.

Harriet Wilson claimed in a social media post that she was not receiving at-home care and could only talk to her NHS doctor every other Friday. 

Her comments allegedly led to the meeting at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, where she was told not to post things online.

It came after Ms Wilson was diagnosed with bowel cancer in May last year, having been warned the disease was likely to kill her.

She underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy to try to fight the disease, which had continued to spread to her stomach and ovaries.

The mum-of-three was later told the cancer was terminal in January, with doctors saying she had weeks to live if she stopped having chemotherapy altogether or a year if she continued fighting.

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Ms Wilson said in an Instagram post: "I did a video on March 18 on Instagram to talk about the way I was feeling because I didn't have any professionals to talk to.

"Afterwards I was called in to see the oncologist and the nurse told me I shouldn't put stuff on my Instagram. They called me in to tell me off about my social media.

"I had sleepless nights before I went in because I thought they would only call me in if it was something serious they wanted to discuss. 

"I was shocked, I said 'you've got a woman here who is dying, a mother of three kids and you have got me out of my bed and here to tell me off about my Instagram?'.

"If I want to run around naked on my Instagram I can, it's a free country, although if I was naked I might have to put some emojis to cover my bits."

She added: "I think the hospital were worried because the post got 50,000 views and they have been so awful with my treatment."

In Ms Wilson's initial post, she said: "I've got no care team now, I'm dying and I don't even have a nurse, I don't even have a doctor I can speak to.

"All I've got is an oncologist who doesn't take phone calls and he rings me every other Friday. 

"I'm in so much pain now I've literally been looking online and asking family members what I should do because I've got nobody to ask in the NHS."

The mum also claimed she had been told on different occasions that she did and then did not have cancer or vice versa.

According to the Mail, she said: "It's been a constant battle, being told one thing and then another.

"One moment I have lung cancer the next I don't, the operation on my bowel is a success and then it isn't. 

"There have been days I wanted to end it all myself, I even looked into going to Switzerland for a lethal injection."

Despite her criticism, Ms Wilson said her condition had improved since she raised the concerns, with her doctor saying she could be put forward for surgery. 

After finding out her cancer was terminal, Ms Wilson married her long-term partner Daniel, 35, with the couple planning their big day in a week.

They have three children: Darcey, 14, Harry, six, and Nelly, four.   

A spokesperson for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality. 

"Harriet will receive a full response to her complaint once we have completed our investigations and in the meantime we wish her all the best with her treatment."

A GoFundMe page has since been set up by the family to help pay for private treatment elsewhere.