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heyYour health correspondent’s description of receiving an endometriosis diagnosis via text message made a deep impact Independent Reader.
next Rebecca Thomas’s accountOur community has been sharing their experiences NHS It feels increasingly impersonal and overwrought.
Many readers recounted their shock and distress upon learning the serious medical news via a message on their phones, describing similar moments of confusion and fear upon reading a diagnosis without any explanation or follow-up.
One woman said she found out she had stage 3 kidney disease through her NHS app, while another was told she had a terminal illness through a two-line letter.
Others reflected on how the human element of healthcare has been lost, with one reader lamenting that after 60 years of NHS care, he no longer even knows his consultant’s name.
Many readers also expressed sympathy doctors And nurses working under immense pressure warn that exhaustion, underfunding and low morale inevitably lead to rushed and impersonal care.
There was still recognition that digitalization could help, with some arguing that SMS or app updates were better than long waits for appointments.
Amid the debate, readers broadly agreed that compassion and communication should remain at the heart of health care, no matter how efficient technology becomes.
Here’s what you had to say:
I found this out on my medical app
In August 2025, I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. I found this out in the summary section on my medical app – it was a huge shock – and a month before I had a POCS stroke. Nothing else was added, no follow-up blood tests were done, just that diagnosis was left.
I am now due to have a follow up blood test as I spoke to a GP about the worrying two lines left on the app. He said that he has no control over what others write.
pebbles
two line letter
Firstly, I have the Wales NHS app. This doesn’t work. “See a GP’s reception,” says the NHS helpdesk. “Contact the NHS” they say. I have given up.
Secondly, my GP gave me a terminal diagnosis with a two-line letter from the radiologist.
Asked this and got the clarification that no one here knows much about it! Went privately for an explanation and referral to a specialist team. I have changed my GP.
Twdupobsais
A scary business that has health problems these days
I was born in the 60s with a condition that affected my health throughout my life, so I have 60 years of NHS experience. I can name all the consultants I’ve worked under over the last decade, when service became much less personal.
Since Covid, I don’t even know the name of my current advisor and don’t know who to contact in case of difficulty. It took four years for my GP to take my decline in mobility seriously, and another year for the first consultation that resulted in a referral to a specialist. I’m still waiting to find out if there is a treatment available, which has now been passed around between different consultants. Meanwhile, my health has deteriorated considerably.
Nowadays it has become a scary business full of health problems. One is faced with a nameless, shapeless organization that seems so overstretched that it can no longer treat its patients as individuals.
slap
a lesson would have been kinder
Years ago, my mother was diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer, which had metastasized to the bones, from a doctor in person. The doctor had no empathy, was constantly looking at her watch and actually lied to her when he told her she would pass away peacefully in six months. Three years later she died in agony as the cancer was busy breaking her bones from the inside. A lesson would have been kind.
Pomerol95
automated emails
We receive automated emails telling us that our NHS file has been updated, and we can then log in to read any updates or information.
I don’t think it’s going to take any more time than a lesson, but it’s definitely more confidential.
no one listens
France’s digital appointment system
Here in France, after any test, scan or X-ray, I personally receive the results with brief notes summarizing them from the technician. I then make an appointment with my GP (never more than 48 hours away) to discuss the results and recommended treatment. France has a digital appointment system and it is highly computerized, with a site listing my total health care costs, etc. I don’t understand why the UK doesn’t enforce this. This saves a lot of time – and probably money too.
SRKFan
pressure and workload
I can’t comment on this matter, but what critics should keep in mind is that some clinical staff are under pressure. I have a son who is a consultant psychiatrist and regularly works 50-60 hours a week. He uses an app on his phone to record case notes while driving from one case to another, which I think is unwise but it’s his decision (so type errors are possible?). No one should have this kind of workload, as it means the service given to patients is inevitably low-standard – but mental health requires a lot more resources.
barry hughes
paying to see a doctor
I had to pay to see a doctor because my local surgery told me there was no possibility of seeing a GP. At least I was diagnosed within a few minutes and treatment was planned within my time frame – but at a huge cost.
English Palace
They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Doctors are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
This may not be ideal, but, personally, I’d much rather find out via text now than, say, wait a week for face-to-face.
holemole
Horrible
This is terrible. Any final diagnosis should be made by a sympathetic doctor. This doctor was clearly in the wrong job. The situation with the NHS is about to get worse. I hear stories all the time and I’m going through a health crisis right now where no one can give me a diagnosis for the last seven months. Really scary.
skylazer
You can not have it both ways
You can either receive your non-cancer results by text and be referred straight away, or wait 4-6 weeks for an appointment to be told what is in the text and be referred – your referral will be delayed and you will be told what the signposted information is, which you can read yourself. You can not have it both ways.
nash
not acceptable
It is not, and never has been, acceptable to be informed of an important diagnosis in any way other than face-to-face. Anything beyond this is a serious violation of standards and the doctor doing so should be ashamed. Care extends far beyond the physical and when done well, it is an art.
Hospital referral could be made without any delay.
tinworth
What’s wrong with a text?
What’s wrong with a text? I love arranging an appointment, making my way to the surgery and then hanging around for half an hour or more to be told exactly the same thing.
ystrckl
Some comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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