We are in a new era where some people feel they do not wish to take legal advice and they trawl the internet. We check out medical advice on the internet and are even told to go and read articles about the safety of drugs...maybe we don’t need doctors...
In The Times today there is reference to a study 'Sleep Sex and Sacrifice' which examines the stresses and strains placed on relationships by the arrival of a baby. The study was based on a survey of 1403 parents, a third of whom were classed as...
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013 (forgive me whilst I catch my breath) SI 2013/1198 which came into force yesterday following the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the...
Businesses are failing to claim tax relief on fittings in commercial properties, experts say, which could save them billions of pounds. Recent research from Deloitte suggests that owners of over 90% of commercial properties in the UK have never claimed...
The pressures on Accident and Emergency Departments have been in the spotlight this week among revelations from the president of the College of Emergency Medicine that overcrowding could lead to more deaths and serious illness. It has been reported that...
An article published on The Independent website yesterday told of an emotive case that has this week been heard in the Court of Protection. The 37 year old woman, known as ‘SB’, is said to be suffering from severe mental health problems...
The new bedroom tax which came into force on 1st April 2013 is having a devastating effect on single people and families. The new rules mean that for those living in social housing who have 1 spare bedroom, their Housing Benefit will be reduced by 14%. A 25%...
A mental health nurse, Ms Melanie Milner, appeared before a Panel of the Conduct and Competence Committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) last week after she was accused of taking 27 cans worth around £9 from a vending machine and sharing...
I read with interest this week a story regarding a patriotic tenant of a national social housing landlord who painted his front door in the colours of the St George’s Flag. Steven Rolfe, a former solider, originally painted his front door in St...
A registered nurse, who worked at Southend Hospital in the A & E department, recently received a 12 month Suspension Order following a fitness to practise hearing before the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Conduct and Competence Committee. Ms...
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the current regulator for a wide range of professionals including social workers, paramedics, occupational therapists, clinical scientists, physiotherapists and many more. The HCPC sets out the standards of...
Maria Stubbings of Chelmsford in Essex was strangled with a dog lead in 2008 by Marc Chivers who had already killed a previous girlfriend. This happened despite the fact that Chivers had already been convicted of assaulting Ms Stubbings and had served a...
Since 8th April 2013 the North West has begun trialling the new benefit known as Personal Independence Payment (PIP). But what is PIP and how will it affect people? Firstly, we need to cast our minds back to 5th December 2012, when George Osborne delivered...
In the Times today it is reported that Senior Tories have begun to plan for the divorce of their party from the Liberal Democrats. This mirrors a growing trend in couples in their 50s calling time on their marriage. There is no doubt that a break-up is...
Andrew Norfolk, a journalist at The Times, has jointly won the Orwell prize for journalism alongside Tom Bergin from Reuters. Andrew won the accolade based on his investigation into the sexual abuse of girls at care homes in Rochdale and beyond. Andrew has...
Over 250 women are being called back to The Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset for cancer checks after concerns that a junior doctor failed to follow correct procedures. Earlier this month the hospital sent letters to 272 patients who had undergone breast...
Earlier this year, there were reports concerning the case of Caroline Woollen, the manager of a global offshore company, who stole almost £160,000 from her employer. Caroline Woollen tricked her Danish employer, Nordic Offshore, into believing she had...
Surprise safety checks began taking place on building sites across Britain in April after a rise in the number of deaths. In the previous 12 months 41 people have died on building sites. Fifty people were killed and 2,298 seriously injured in 2010-2011. The...
The use of taser guns is an increasingly hot topic in the press. And rightly so. There is strong opposition to the use of these police weapons, as injuries and deaths are believed by some to have been caused as a result of their use. The guns fire two darts...
Deferred Prosecution Agreements have received Royal Assent and are on track for a 2014 introduction. But what is a DPA and how will it affect businesses in the UK? A Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) is an agreement between the prosecution and the...
It has come to light that it is not uncommon for police to use taser guns to restrain mentally ill patients. According to an article posted on the This is Leicestershire website, a response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 show that...
Today the BBC and news agencies report that Ministers are promising an end to the era of vulnerable people being passed around the health and care systems. The pledge forms part of a shared commitment being set out by NHS and local government leaders to...
Although National Road Safety week isn't until November this year, road safety charity Brake are stepping up the campaign to lower road speed limits everywhere with particular emphasis on rural roads, with their aim being for the Government to reduce the...
The above bill has now been given royal assent and comes into force in June 2013. How does this affect employees in the workforce who have suffered an accident? The existing legislation means that the onus is on the employer to ensure that their...
Any criminal solicitor worth his salt will be able to tell you that crashing a recently stolen vehicle into a Police Officer's car is not going to end well. This was exactly what happened to a Mr Beard who was already well known to the Court for previous...