Culcheth Medical Centre has performed a fairly sizeable U-turn, admitting it should not have sent a letter asking a 25-year-old patient to leave after she shared a post on social media.
The letter reportedly said staff had monitored social media and noticed the patient's post in a community Facebook group. Her crime, apparently, was sharing a recent CQC article about the practice published by the Warrington Guardian. Hardly the digital equivalent of storming the building.
The issue has now attracted intervention from Warrington CCG, which said it was raising the matter with the practice as a matter of urgency. Steven Broomhead, chief executive of Warrington Borough Council, also wrote to the practice demanding answers.
People reacted with shock online, including one junior doctor who said she would be looking for a new practice if she received a similar letter. Tom Gentry, Age UK's senior health and care policy lead, described the letter as “outrageous”. That reaction is understandable. Practices are entitled to deal with abuse and serious misconduct, but treating a factual social media post as grounds for removal looks heavy-handed and deeply unhelpful.
In a reply to Mr Broomhead, partner GP James Macbeth said that, “after reflection”, the practice accepted it “should not have sent the letter”. The practice has agreed an action plan including an apology to the patient, a review of its complaints process and a review of its response letters.
A spokesperson for Warrington CCG said: “We have raised this issue as a matter of urgency with the practice.
“We are meeting with the practice to discuss the issue and the rationale for sending the letter as this was not something that we would expect to be sent to patients in such situations.
“Should any issues be identified in the practice's handling of patient registrations or patient complaints the CCG will ensure that appropriate action is taken.”
The patient said she was “a bit dumbfounded” when the letter arrived and needed her father to read it back to her because she is severely dyslexic. She said: “We've all put things on social media we probably shouldn't but, surely I have a right to share something about that whether that be good or bad.”
She also questioned how many other people might have been removed from the practice in similar circumstances, saying: “Are we not allowed an opinion? Do we live in a dictatorship where you're banned for sharing a factual post? This is Warrington not North Korea.”
The apology and review are welcome, and it is positive that Warrington CCG and Warrington Borough Council took the complaint seriously. But the episode has still damaged trust, which is rather important in healthcare. A practice should be able to handle criticism without reaching for the administrative ejector seat.
The Warrington Guardian article also appeared alongside a separate report about a carer who will only pay back a quarter of the £16.7k she stole from a dementia patient.