Patient Feedback

Here is a small selection of the wonderful feedback we regularly receive from satisfied patients of Dr Michael Beckles including this letter, published in full. See below for snippets of other feedback from patients and their families.

“I am writing to thank the Royal Free for the wonderful care that my mother received from Dr Michael Beckles. Sadly, my mother died at home. She had carcinoma of the lung with liver metastases.

My mother was referred to Dr Beckles for a second opinion, having previously received a diagnosis of COPD four months earlier. However, she had continued to deteriorate, with increasing shortness of breath and loss of energy. Within 24 hours Dr Beckles had made the diagnosis and booked her a liver biopsy to ascertain the nature of the carcinoma. She later went on to be seen by the oncologists. She received one pulse of chemotherapy but it was soon evident that the carcinoma had progressed so far that there was no point in continuing chemotherapy. We looked after her at home from then on.

Before she died, my mother asked me to write to you to thank you for the amazing care that Dr Beckles provided. This was critical in helping her to come to terms with death. My father had died 3 weeks before my mother received her diagnosis and my mother had been his carer for 10 years. She very much wanted to live and had a lot that she wanted to do and so she had much to come to terms with.

From the outset, Dr Beckles was attentive and listened very carefully to my mother’s history and examined her very respectfully and gently. He promptly organized the necessary investigations and made the diagnosis within 24 hours. For my mother, who had been married to a doctor, and myself (having held consultant posts in several institutions, including the Royal Free), it was evident that Dr Beckles’ clinical acumen was truly outstanding and he didn’t put a foot wrong throughout. He also acted very promptly. While there was clearly nothing that could be done to change the course of the disease, he did everything to ease her symptoms and carefully titrated her medication to give her maximal relief with as few side effects as possible. He also did simple things like ordering oxygen at home and liaising with the GP very promptly – all of which smoothed the process of looking after her. He was regularly in touch to find out how she was, even in the last few weeks of her life. He was above all compassionate throughout and treated her with dignity, which meant a lot to her.

He was clearly very busy and was sometimes interrupted during consultations about other urgent issues. He always apologised, would give his full attention to the other urgent matter, then returned to my mother and carried on where he left off. His manner, caring and professionalism were exemplary.

As I mentioned, the knowledge that everything possible was being done by Dr Beckles, together with his compassion and thoughtfulness helped my mother through some very dark times and ultimately to come to terms with her impending death. We are deeply grateful.”

“I had outstanding treatment from Dr Beckles. He is as always clear and thoughtful and, from being very ill indeed, I have regained good health. I am very grateful to this excellent consultant.”
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thanking you for the expected, the unexpected and the quite extraordinary acts of kindness you have displayed.”
“My most heartfelt thanks for all your care of my mother, and your time and sympathy with our family. Her progress over the last few days has been nothing short of miraculous, given her condition a week ago, and even though the weeks and months ahead will doubtless prove difficult, I am sure that your management of her recovery has been a huge factor in smoothing this progress – thank you so much.”
“I write to thank you for all your kindness and of course for all the medical treatment I received at your hospital from you and from others.”
“You are an exceptional Doctor with, as I have observed, exceptional manners to all your patients. I am grateful that you have helped me to breathe better.”
“A huge thank you for the marvellously efficient and humane way in which you guided me and my wife through this lung carcinoid episode.”
“You truly showed understanding, concern and empathy. My mother remembered you to the end with fondness. I have to say you personified all that is good about your profession. I can’t thank you enough for all that you did for her.”
“Just a brief note to thank you most sincerely for looking after me so well and in such a friendly, caring manner.”
“Dr Beckles is a most charming gentleman!”
“I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me! I am really fortunate to know a person like you, who goes out of the way to help people during their difficult times.”
“Dr Beckles has always been polite, respectful and helpful.”
“Dr Beckles is a very charming and competent doctor who inspires confidence and is very reassuring.”
“Lovely manner and personality. Makes you feel like he remembers you and shows interest in what you are up to. Lovely ‘bedside manner’ it will be a shame not to see him anymore!”
“Thank you for being instrumental in saving my life.”
“My family and I would like to thank you very much for the endless care you took of my husband. It is comforting to know he had the best care to the very end. You are a great Doctor and a unique person.”