Posted by Tony Morgan on 07/06/06 20:05

In message <btdqa2pnc123bcu3l14p43tj1tgmdph90g@4ax.com>, Laurence Payne
<lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom.?.invalid> writes
>Anyway, this would never come near a court of law.

There I would wholeheartedly agree with you - but not for the reason
that you appear to suggest, but simply because any recording made as
suggested is in contravention of the HRA and such a recording would seem
to be the only evidence.

> If she DID get evidence of malpractice, the hospital would publicly
>deny everything but have an effective word with the doctor in question.

Malpractice is AFAIK in the domain of the BMA, and not the courts.
Negligence can be determined in the courts - malpractice no. It might
seem to be hair-splitting but there is a considerable difference.

I have had personal experience of LHAs (or more accurately the Luton &
Dunstable Hospital Trust). My present wife had a bad RTA in which she
fractured a vertebrae and four bones in her foot. She was taken to the
L&D where she had her leg put in plaster which was removed three months
later - but she was unable to obtain any subsequent physiotherapy or
further treatment. The result was a misshapen foot and considerable
difficulty in walking. A year later because she was still unable to walk
properly, she signed up for treatment and surgery on my private health
insurance (which fortunately covered her). The irony is that her
subsequent private BUPA diagnosis, treatment and surgery was with the
very same orthopaedic specialist who treated her in the L&D hospital.

We then sent a letter to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital Trust,
complaining about the treatment that she had received following her
accident. After two months of silence, my wife's GP received a letter
saying that the L&D could no longer accept referrals for any diagnosis
or treatment of my wife.

And yes. My opinions of health services are jaded.....
--
Tony Morgan
http://www.camcord.info

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