Service not worth paper printed on

I recently received some letters from what is described as a highly-specialised service commissioned by the NHS.

The service, based in Newcastle and run by the NHS, is held in high regard by the clinical and managerial staff who work and run the facility.

It followed an appointment I attended with the service for genetic testing to establish if genetically I had a certain condition that was diagnosed some 30 years ago.

The letters are addressed to my GP and are full of technical jargon, with the narrative outlining my current situation and medical history containing a number of errors and false statements.

I could spend a day on the internet researching the terms used. It’s frustrating that this is the way a modern health service deals with the people it is supposed to be helping. The patient rather than being at the

centre of the process, seems to be dealt with as an afterthought!

The letters are printed on paper that looks and feels a bit like the paper that newspapers are printed on. If you get a letter from a government department you may have seen this quality of paper.

No professional organisation would use such paper - only those run by the UK government! Indeed the documents printed for use at public meetings that I attend where directors running government services are present are printed on a higher quality paper.

DAVID BLACK, Newcastle