One thing I forgot to ask - were you subletting with the LL's permission?

Check your tenancy agreement? When was it taken out? Was it a standard AST? After a certain date your LL was required by law to secure your deposit in one of the nominated schemes and she would have also been obliged to notify you of this within 14 days of you handing it over. Your LL only has the right to deduct from your deposit any damage to the property that is beyond normal wear and tear. I would want to see the receipts for this and it helps that you have friends living at the property. I think the report that your LL is referring to is a figment of her imagination and a means of shutting you down. The lesson here is to ensure that at each new tenancy you insist on an independent inventory check-in/check out. The first is paid by the LL, the second by the tenant. You should be present at them both and sign the reports to say that you accept them. Do not let this LL intimidate you. Make it clear that you will pay what is reasonable, but no more. If your LL did not secure the deposit, she will find the law very much against her and I think will have to compensate you - I'm not 100% sure but I think it's three times the deposit.

I am confused. Are you saying that the Agent now considers the house multiple occupancy because you have put locks on four of the doors? That would be complete nonsense and I would challenge the Agent in writing to provide proof of this. You'll find that they are just trying scare tactics. Is this a single house or flat with one AST? Where are the stairs located where the drug dealers hang out? I own, you should not have fitted locks on the doors without permission and I consider that the LL/Agent would have the right to claim for four new doors, but they would have to be pretty special doors to exceed an average deposit. Why not get some quotes (like for like) before you leave incase there is a dispute later on and you can provide this as evidence. Just remember, everything in writing, recorded delivery if possible.

You are not the first to lie to your employer and you most certainly will not be the last. My guess is that you will not be able to have this detail removed from your record. I say this because I have read of cases where information was wrongly added to a patient's records - say they were alcoholic when they were not - and this could not be struck off even after appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office, which seems somewhat mad to me. You may be able to ask them to add an addendum, but what would you want it to say 'You have never been depressed, but you intentionally lied because you needed time off?' You may just make matters worse. I'm not sure that an employer gets full access to your medical records to thumb through. I would imagine it's more specific questions to the GP, one of which could be about any history of mental illness.

I pay a subscription to Macmillan each month and I hope that its services are not restricted to those whom a consultant considers 'worthy' of referral. If you do contact them yourself, let them know your experience. I would hope at the very least that Macmillan drop a line to the CEO of the Trust to make sure that this is an automatic process for anyone being diagnosed in the future. I know through my own experience with a relative that this is not the case and only by complaining/raising awareness can this be remedied. I also contacted the local hospice independently because the hospital did not bother and they came along to assess the needs of the patient, offering respite care and support (for both patient and family). It may also be (my own experieces with the NHS being so appalling) that your friend will not get the right social services support if the hospital fail to notify them of the patient's condition.

Interesting article. Only in America could a doctor 'fire' the patient!

Hostility is probably born from fear in this situation - of exposure of their incompetence and/or of litigation. I cannot think why they worry so, because it is extremely rare for a doctor to be struck off for the most gross failures - one example is Dr Jane Barton who seemingly managed to kill off a fair number of elderly patients with diamorphine in Portsmouth and is still allowed to practise! And then there's Mid-Staffs where the CEO who was ultimately (in my opinion) responsible for many hundreds of patients unnecessarily suffering and dying, actually walked away (and probably into another similar job down the road no doubt) with over a million quid. Let's hope that the new government (and I won't hold my breath on this) has got the guts to change things. In the meantime the patient should be able to protect themselves in anyway they see fit.

No, perhaps not in this case, but many believe that grief can be assuaged by avarice.

I believe that you must declare and get the consent of the people you are recording if you want to use it as evidence in any future legal proceedings. I don't think it a bad idea in the scheme of things. A patient could re-run the recording to confirm or clarify information that often flies past them during a consultation. I cannot think of why a consultant would refuse unless he has doubts about his/her own ability - I guess it could both damn and help them in a case of litigation.

There are many people who litigate, not for profit, but for truth and justice, because the current system provides neither.

First off you need to see the document that supposedly gives the insurance company authority to ask for a medical report from your GP. I know that I have signed away this permission on job contracts - I think in order to get the perk of free medical cover, but have made sure that I also ticked the box that I would like to be notified first. I have always been concerned that this practice is allowed. I think that insurance companies/employers should be only able to make requests through the insured and never directly to a GP. It's a bit scary and thought provoking that our signatures can be forged so easily (who at the GP surgery is likely to check that it is correct) or past employers can request information on us (your GP doesn't know your up to date work record) and our personal data be released without our authority.

Would the compensation culture be so bouyant if the NHS management were open and transparent in their dealings with complainants and were accountable for their failures? Would it be necessary to litigate if existing bodies (the CQC, the NMC, the GMC and the Ombudsman) actually helped and protected us before and when things go horribly wrong, rather than being the self-serving and inept organisations that they are?

Yes, thank you Night Owl, it does help. I think it is wrong that the management should decide on the minimum number of trained nurses to patient ratio. I'm presuming that this can change from Trust to Trust. Rather than the pledge of allegiance for nurses that has been tabled, (you have to wonder at the dullards that came up with this idea), I would like to see a legal obligation on the trained nurse to patient ratio (and this I would like to be proposed by the existing trained nurses) across the NHS, with management held accountable if it fell below.

But the OP says there was a bacterial infection, but it seems that the anti-biotic originally prescribed was not the most effective for the task. Does a bacteria only become resistant because it has been exposed to that anti-biotic, but not killed by it or does the bacteria automatically have immunity?

NightOwl If I wanted specifically to know who was on duty on any particular shift during one year how would I word a Freedom of Information request? I want to know what the trained nurse to patient ratio was - I do not want HCAs, matrons or any other members of staff included in the statistics. For how long would you think such records would be kept? Also are you actively encouraged to raise incident forms when you are understaffed or is there another method that allows you to raise your concerns in a formal way that is recorded? Many thanks.

Well I think you should initially make (it is important that you do this in writing) a formal complaint to the hospital/GP and ask them why this information was withheld. Perhaps a poster with medical knowledge could provide any kind of explaination as to why the first urine tests did not identify the exact type of infection. I could see how you would be prescribed a 'best guess' drug for a UTI initially, but I would have thought that as soon as the test results were back it would have been clear that anti-biotics were not going to help.

I have a question relating to the original post. I always thought that it was ill-advised to stop taking an antibiotic midway through prescription (per chance this did not happen to the poster) as it was supposed to increase the likelihood of bacteria becoming resistant and hence the possibility of superbugs. So whether or not the GP was right to prescribe the medicine in anticipation of them being right in their diagnosis is by the by - would it have been right to advise the patient to stop taking the drug immediately, or would it have been better for them to complete the course - presuming that the patient had no adverse reaction?

I hope things continue to improve Night Owl. Let us know either way. I have mailed your link to friends who are nurses. I'm sure they will forward on to their colleagues.

I have had not a disimiliar experience to yours Jogon. I am left with no confidence or trust in the NHS. I actually think now that privatisation may the way to go. Accountability and transparency can only lead to better care.

I'm not sure it is that we want someone to blame, but more that we need to understand how and why things went wrong and to feel that we have won justice for the person lost - and hope that lessons will be learned and the same mistakes will not happen again. I think our healthcare system needs a big shake up. The current lack of accountability means that more and more individuals are being forced to litigate to expose incompetent doctors and 'not fit for purpose' hospital management. And then, so often, the punishments do not fit the crime. I can only suggest you contact the AVMA to ask about the 3 year limit or any medical negligence lawyer (they surely cannot charge you for this question). Everything I have read says these rules are hard and fast, but then I'm not legally trained.

You say you started dealing with a solicitor. Did they give you any indication of your chances of success and what were their views on the claim being made after the three year time limit? I presume you also contacted a no win, no fee lawyer for their opinion too. They would only take on a case if they thought there was something in it for them. The predicament for you is that you could spend so much time, money and heartache and only end up feeling bitter. It's very hard to come to terms with a situation where you know you've been wronged and you cannot do a damn thing about it unless you are rich or powerful. Those people who have made mistakes will never face questions, the systems that have failed will never be reviewed or improved, no lessons will ever be learnt...and it will happen again.

Even if an email were deleted immediately after send, its recovery would depend upon the type of email being used and the configuration on the server.

Good Lord. Never happened to me or any of my relatives. Nice to know that the NHS is spending our money wisely!

Jonnybee. I know this is a very stressful time and I wish you well. I quite agree with what you say about this country. Growing up and hearing of horrific stories from other countries, I always thought that it couldn't possibly happen here. We have standards. Our systems are robust. We have access to justice and our laws are fair. Yet that is just a flimsy facade. Behind is confusion, chaos and incompetence. Sadly it is only in the midst of a crisis that we realise this and are too overwhelmed to deal with the situation effectively. I'm sure lots of people who have gone through such trauma have tried to change the system for the next lot, but it's like the circumlocution office in Dickens' Little Dorrit: Every fly is crushed on a wheel. Hang on to your hope.

Congratulations Night Owl. A small victory. Let's hope that it is not a temporary measure to quell the staff disquiet. Keep us posted.