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'
A 34-year-old mother who is battling terminal bowel cancer has revealed she was 'called into hospital to be scolded by NHS doctors'. Picture: Instagram

By Emma Soteriou

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.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

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.

Read more: Bereaved father details failings of 'swamped' NHS mental health services

Read more: 'Sick joke': Anger as free hospital parking for NHS staff axed from Friday

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."

Ms Wilson said she had sleepless nights worrying about the appointment.
Ms Wilson said she had sleepless nights worrying about the appointment. Picture: Instagram

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.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Rescue teams at work after the plane crashed into the sea, on Roatan island, Honduras

Plane crash kills seven including popular music star after jet goes down off Honduras coast

The NHS watchdog has called for overweight patients to be weighed each year.

Overweight patients should be weighed every year so doctors can monitor them, says NHS watchdog

Pat McFadden

Pat McFadden defends changes to welfare system as he insists Cabinet 'united' behind plans - despite backlash

Driving test rules have changed

Warning over new rules for driving tests, as ministers push to slash waiting times

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Portrait

Fresh twist in death of Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy as it emerges she called doctors a day after police say she died

Exclusive
Civil servants are having their credit cards frozen

'We need to treat taxpayer money with respect': Ministers freeze civil service credit cards after spending quadruples

Exclusive
Part of the River Trent had 50 times the bacteria of safe swimming water

'There's something wrong with the water': Bacteria in UK river 50 times higher than safe swimming levels

The crash occurred on Friday night, near Shifnal, and involved a silver Audi A1

Third teenager dies after horror crash in West Midlands as one left fighting for life

King Charles III And Queen Camilla

King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff's ill health

This image taken from NASA video shows the SpaceX capsule carrying NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague.

NASA astronauts 'stranded' in space for months begin journey back to Earth in SpaceX Dragon capsule

Israel has launched the largest strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, killing and injuring dozens while promising 'increasing military force'.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire collapses as IDF launches 'extensive' strikes on Gaza killing 'at least 330'

Israel has launched the largest strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, killing and injuring dozens while promising 'increasing military force'.

Israel launches 'extensive' deadly strikes on Gaza, which Hamas says indicate 'unilateral end to ceasefire'

Badenoch is expected to drop the party’s commitment to net zero, which the UK is legally required to reach by 2050, in a speech on Tuesday.

UK net zero target by 2050 is ‘impossible’ without bankrupting Britain, says Kemi Badenoch

John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving pilot that served in the Battle of Britain, has passed away at the age of 105.

Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway dies aged 105

A selection of credit cards in a fan.

Almost 20,000 Civil Service credit cards to be frozen - after spending quadruples in four years

MPs have been urged to support moves to ban smacking and other forms of physical punishment against children in England.

Ministers urged to back law change which will see smacking children to punish them banned