The NHS are making a profit? We share the same views on its management.

Woah, there's more than a hint of arrogance in your response ziggygbr. If that is your attitude I can quite understand how liz123 must feel. It reminds me of visiting my own relatives in hospital and the contempt I was shown if I dared to question the trained medics opinions or decisions. I got to the point where I held back because I thought my relatives were being penalised as a result.

Is Debbielou an NHS worker? Certainly as a member of the public you cannot approach the CQC however much you may think the Trust is 'failing.'

You make the Trust - I assume you mean the management - sound like the Stasi, ziggygbr. I thought that was the NMC's role. No wonder there's little incentive to acknowledge fault or make apologies when things go wrong for the patient.

Once again good luck and do let us know what the eventual outcome is.

Umm, it does seem the road to justice is strewn with many obstacles. Many of those involved have a reputation and money to lose, so they'll just want you to shut up and go away. I hope you battle on. Good luck. Out of interest, did you take your complaint to the HCC (as was then) and the Ombudsman? What were your issues with the AVMA? I have sent them some data to review. I haven't heard back yet, but I'd like to hear your views.

I should go to your GP and discuss this with him as soon as possible. You need the appropriate treatment plan for your condition, although what this is cannot seemingly be agreed upon by the independent professor and your own consulant. Let your GP be the middle man.

Are you the Mr Heathcote in the article? What was the outcome? Or are proceedings ongoing?

Good advice from the above posts. Get as much information as possible without alerting anyone of your intention to complain. Also the AVMA offer free and confidential advice www.avma.org.uk Their initial response to your complaint will almost certainly thank you for your feedback with promises to use it to improve procedures. Don't take them at their word.

Evidad5 I can totally understand your distress, anger and frustration. Are there no rules or guidelines (NICE/BMA/BMF) for transfusions stating how many units can be given in a period of time? Even if the paperwork was missing could the coroner not have requested that those responsible for administering the transfusion provide the details under oath? How much information would be kept on computer (a question for any nurses out there). Is the Trust saying that it followed its own procedures in this area? Are these procedures available for you to see? It really is only when you face such failures that you realise how flakey the system in place is in putting things right and making sure it doesn't happen again. Personally I think the Ombudsman SHOULD take this on. Loss of records to me is maladministration. I also think the ICO SHOULD take the Trust to task. The inertia in both these organisations reflects the casual attitude the Trusts have to lost and mislaid records. It truly is a disgrace. I'm guessing you do not even have the option for judicial review with the Ombudsman.

I believe the maximum fee is £50. I paid that for records of a relative going back absolutely years. If you are more specific in your request ie only ask for data from the date that the investigations on this particular issue started, it should take the administrator less time to photocopy - and presumably should be with you sooner. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the private clinicians to find the cause of your daughter in law's problem. The irony could be that she sees the same doctors in private practice as she did in the NHS. They'll just be getting paid a whole lot more money.

Remember there are many people - especially the elderly - who do not know how to challenge the system and have no advocate. They are the ones we should feel fear for.

It seems that littlewillie, like most of us who have had a very negative experience with the NHS, only want to a transparent investigation, the truth and an apology where there has been an avoidable mistake or failure. Instead it seems that we have an NHS management (a percentage of whom are senior nurses and consultants) that is adept at avoiding blame and evading responsibility. The pain their actions cause to the damaged patient or bereaved relatives cannot be underestimated. I do not advocate a blame culture, but it seems to me that there is absolutely no accountability. I am extremely concerned as a potential patient that sub-standard doctors and nurses (a minority but signifcant all the same) continue to practice and are managed by people whose goal is to keep within budgets and meet government targets to the detriment of the patients and their own staff. Keep going littlewille, if you can. It sounds as if the entire system is conspiring against you exposing the truth. I hope you do. One last point. I see that Margaret Haywood, the nurse that was struck off earlier this year for exposing poor care within the NHS, is to be allowed back into the profession. It's a shame that she was struck off in the first place and after hearing her interviewed after the High Court's decision I am not confident that she would make the same decision again. Considering what she has been through it is not a surprise. I am sure it also sends out a very negative message to all the other good nurses and doctors not to rock the boat. God help the NHS and all who sail in her!

There's this site. Tax relief - Royal College of Midwives I'm guessing you are a member of one of the medical professionals bodies and they should surely have a helpline. Don't let Mr Brown take even more money from you. It's only used to pay MPs expenses!

I can only suggest you write a formal complaint to the hospital concerned so that you get their explanation in writing. Also, perhaps it is worthwhile contacting your MP and/or contacting the local newspaper with your story. The louder you shout the more likely it is you are likely to be listened to.

120K geoffthechef?! God help me, I made the wrong profession choice. Did you have to pay this yourself and what was the outcome? Do you think it was worth the while? I have to say I disagree with you about leaving it all to the lawyers. I've come to the conclusion that professionals and experts rarely match their description. They'll charge you through the nose for something that you are more than capable of doing yourself. You, rather than the lawyers, are more likely to spot missing data because the 'negligence' happened to you. I would advocate speaking to the AVMA. Their advice is objective and free.

I think you'll find the GMC and the Secretary of State just as useless. I still think that the ICO is responsible and your MP should have followed this up. Whether an individual is deceased or not, medical records - in fact any personal data - should, by law, be kept safe and secure for a defined period of time. It is only when we suffer the consequences of maladministration that we find just how hopeless the system is in supporting individuals and preventing a recurrence.

Which goes against the article I posted, where they obviously were involved. I can quite understand how frustrated and angry you must feel. Have you spoken with your MP? I don't want to depress you more but there is a good blog site with various articles written by like-minded people. http://nhsexposedblog.blogspot.com/

Well, I would challenge them and have found the following article where the ICO were involved. Powered by Google Docs Yes, we are at ther mercy of Trusts who deliberately lose or even alter notes.

Contact the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) by phone - they take an age to respond to post or email - and ask them the question. Do you suspect that they have been genuinely or purposely mislaid? There will almost certainly be some data on computer for your mum. Have the hospital supplied this? I have a relative who works in Occupational Health in the NHS and they have been experimenting with the clipboards that produce a written copy of the notes whilst storing the text in memory, which can easily be uploaded to a PC. Yes, there is the handwriting recognition samples to go through, but ultimately time is saved and it could also mean notes can be searched by keyword or phrase. So often, in my experience, great wads of paper notes are not read by consultants, to the detriment of the patient. Or they are lost forever.

Littlewille, I think that management should take trips out to the wards (OK not with scalpels) to speak to patients, their relatives and members of staff to find out what the real issues are for these parties so that they can work out ways to address them. And I agree, hoorah for the Internet!

Littlewillie, I'm so sorry to hear about your wife. You must be absolutely devastated. It does seem that the law and justice are mutually exclusive. Check out the charity AVMA if you haven't already. Home - AvMA I'm really surprised at the coroner's attitude. This was your wife? I requested a PM on my relative, which is how we know the cause of death - the hospital certainly hadn't a clue! Check these sites. Post-mortem - Introduction The Coroners' Society of England and Wales : The Office of Coroner In my dealings with various 'professionals' I have come to the conclusion that it is best never to believe what you are told, but to challenge and double-check whenever you feel it necessary.

You are absolutely right - the ins and outs of your illness are nothing to do with me or anyone else, although you volunteered this information and from what I read, it looks as if you will try to use this as leverage to get out of a contract that you agreed and signed to. Good luck.

If the road is a public road and if there are no signs or roadmarkings to prevent you parking there, I believe you are within your rights, although I would still expect any individual to be considerate of others when parking their car. It is unreasonable for your employer to put pressure on you and unacceptable that they would threaten disciplinary on such a matter. They must know that this is way outside of their rights as an employer, unless they have added a clause to your contract of employment - highly unlikely. I'm presuming you do not park on company property because of lack of space or parking charges. You need to stand firm, but polite against your employer. Perhaps you and the other people involved can arrange to meet to try to reach a compromise. If no solution that is acceptable to all parties can be attained the company next door should contact the council and the council should look at a way to resolve the matter. Keep a record of conversations, emails etc for reference. I often think that if a employer/manager loses on one issue, your card is marked for the future.

Why on earth did you sign a lease - and a 12 month one at that - on a property that you had not seen before? You give absolutely no reasons why you think the house is contributing to your illness and therefore I cannot but think you will suffer wherever you live. You will get better and I hope that you have people around you who are able to help.