Hi I'm sorry I couldn't find the answer after searching so.... I had an operation on and was told to rest for 7 days afterwards. My employer has asked for a copy of my appointment letter and a sick note. As I can self-cert for this period which will be 4 working days, have they a right to request a sick-note? Do they have a right to request a copy of my appointment letter? I have all of the documents relating to my surgery so have no problem providing the evidence but considering I have taken them to task for not making reasonable adjustments (unrealted disability), I am feeling like they are trying to build a case against me.

Hi I have a similar thread running as I'm waiting for reasonable adjustments. I spoke to the Equality & Human Rights Commission (0845 604 6610) who advised that there are no time limits for adjustments to be made. They advised me to point out to my employer that while the adjustments were not made I was being placed at an significant disadvantage compared with able bodied employees. (Although I would be careful about saying it, this amounts to disability discrimination as defined under the act). It may not seem like it but from what you have said it sounds like you are being bullied, look up workplace bullying and disability and you may recognise some of the definitions of bullying applying to your situation. My main recommendation would be to speak to The Equality & Human Rights commission on the number I've given. If you haven't already you may also want to find out about "Access To Work", you will be able to find out more on the net or visit your local jobcentre. Good luck!

Hi all I made a request over four weeks ago whilst on sick leave to work from home. I have degenerative disc disease which causes me a lot of pain and is aggrevated by staying in one position for too long, walking too far or climbing stairs etc. They are delaying making a decision whilst waiting for my doctor to respond with his opinion and have also asked his opinion about my chair which seems a little silly to me - would my gp be able to advise on this? All the time they are delaying I am stuck in the office and experiencing increased back pain. We have a lift that is unreliable (office on 2nd floor), difficulty parking near to the office (they suggested I use pay and display but staff without a disability can avoid this charge as they don't need to park close to the office), a poor office layout and standard office chairs. They have stated my chair is fully adjustable but I feel this is adequate for people without back problems but not for me. They are leaning towards declining my request and I am not happy. Any advice/comments on the situation greatly appreciated and any useful contacts for extra support? Thank you.

Thank you all for your replies I have passed on your advice and suggested she joins the forum for future reference! I think particularly that the argument about using a passport should deal with the issue and the home office guidance is much appreciated. CJ.

Hi I'm asking for help on behalf of a friend. She is a UK Citizen, born in the UK and always lived in the UK and has a standard 6"x6.5" birth certificate. She is about my age and I have the same type of birth certificate. She applied for a job with a local authority but she was turned down and told her birth certificate was "obsolete" and insisted that she should obtain an A4 birth certificate. This sounds crazy, has anyone come across this before? Thank you in advance, CJ.

Hi all I've received a response from cabot. They have included statements etc. but not the agreement and accept that as such it is not enforceable. The again say "Cabot does not have a duty to provide this information and therefore section 78 of the Consumer Credit Act does not apply to us. With regards to the data protection part included in my letter, they have responded: "We must advise you thyat Cabot is legally entitled and obligated under the original credit agreement which you signed and entered into with the original lender, which has been sold to Cabot Financial Group, and under the Schedule 2 paragraphs 1-4 0f the Data Protection Act 1998 to process and sotre your information. They have siad that as a gesture of 'goodwill' they will keep the account on hold but intend to chase it as soon as they have the original credit agreement. What should I do?? Thank you in advance.

Hi Mossycat I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing similar difficulties. You may be doing this already but from experience I would advize you to record everything; times, dates and names etc. Also, my complaint to the ombudsman has made them sit up and pay attention so if you have not yet complained to the ombudsman you should do so. It is important to do this sooner rather than later as after two months my case has still not been allocated to an ombudsman adjudicator due to high volumes of comlaints. They have however requested all related documents from the companies involved. They did offer to fix the car but then when the garage finally called me it transpired that not all of the agreed works had been authorised so I was back to the beginning. As a result of this I have now refused to deal with them and will wait as long as necessary for the ombudsman to deal with them on my behalf. Good luck and keep up posted.

Hi all The ex was slow to act despite my relaying all of your advice. One piece of advice I gave her too was to go to the top, the PM. She has done this now and has received a response (from his secretary of course) saying the matter has been passed to the treasury. I'll let you know when we hear anything.

Hi The issues are still on-going. I've received a letter from the ombudsman saying they haven't been able to allocate it yet due to high demand etc. Harpers have been out to do a further inspection, clearly with the aim of proving the mould etc would have occured anyway due to blocked drainage channels. I'm sure they were sad not to find a way out. This did seems particularly silly as ACM have already sent me a letter stating the mould etc. would be dealt with so as far as I'm concerned they've already accepted responsibility. The only thing that went smoothly was my compensation claim for whiplash but this was dealt with solely by Minster Law. Having said that I have received a letter from Drive Assist this week asking me for details of the accident, claiming the thrid party has denied any knowledge of the incident. This is clearly yet another silly administrative error as the third party have long-since paid my compensation! Good luck with your claim. Let me know how you get on.

Unfortunately my period of ill-health has continued, with back problems but also an operation to have a cyst removed has been a problem. See post here if you're interested: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/nhs/150364-operation-gone-wrong-had.html Anyway, back to Cabot. I haven't heard a thing since sending the letter supplied by stikky62. What should I do next? Thank you in advance.

Hi poppynurse. Swabs were taken for the first time at my last appointment on 1st August. I haven't heard anything yet but nothing was mentioned at the time about infection. I'm currently renewing the dressings when needed and using inadine.

Can you believe this is still going on. This is where I'm at..had an operation done by a plastic surgeon, then it split again. I'm so fed up with having a hole in my neck! Some people may think I'm being a moaner but judge for yourselves:

Thank you for your response blue4ever. I have considered DLA but am going to wait for another week to see if this is an 'episode' or if the new levels of pain and the problems it causes are here to stay. I've been off work with it for the last week and have a review with the Docv on Monday but as it stands I cannot see myslef returning to work quite yet.

1 line 4 points is bad;)Does it matter if 'Peter' is mentioned. Stick 2 the point

Hi I have degenerative disc disease which has 'killed' all the discs in my lumbar spine. As a result of this I have chronic pain in my lower back. I have worked full time since I was 16 and don't intend to stop now but I'm finding it more and more difficult. I need to regularly change my sitting position, stand, walk etc. as the pain builds when I do any one of these activities for more than between 5 and 15 minutes at a time. Most of my work involves being out and about. I do a lot of driving which does not cause problems as I can build stretch breaks into my journey and fidget to my hearts content. When with clients I can fidget, stand etc. and then the same when I'm in the office. The three of these activities are becoming too much. I feel that if I was able to do the office part from home, this would really help. I could put my feet up on the settee and use my laptop. Also whilst in the office I feel embarrassed when I am grimacing and groaning with the pain and would rather do this in privacy. I am considering approaching my employer and asking them if I can work from home, doing the same duties as I do now. Has anyone else dealt with this before? Does anyone have any advice? Any suggestions on how I might make the approach and what I may say? Thank you in advance.

Unfortunately due to ill-health I've been delayed but the letter has been sent and I eagerly await their response!

Unfortunately things can go wrong. When working correctly however they are a good way of getting out of debt but also and most importantly avoiding accumulation of further debts. (As I said, when they work as they should). The other option of dealing with fuel debt if you are receiving benefits is 'Fuel Direct' which again is far from perfect but payments are taken directly from your benefits.

Are you saying I shouldn't send the letter?

The latest letter. They are now over the +30 days so I'll be sending them the letter in the morning!

I understand your point about legality but my argument is based more on morality. If I was the householder I would have to argue that the proper working of the meter is the responsibility of the supplier and that I should not suffer financial detriment due to something beyond my control or knowledge, regardless of what the law says. There is however a BIG difference. As I mentioned, pre-payment meters are often fitted for vulnerable people as a method of repaying a debt and as a way of avoiding accumulation of debt. With this said it would be grossly unfair and immoral for a company to allow a 'stealth' debt to accumulate.

Welcome to the forums. I have joined recently and have found them to be invaluable. As well as seeking advice, take a look around and see if there's any advice you can give.

I'm not entirely sure who receives the proceeds but I'd imagine it's the insurer If you are in a situation where you are waiting for a settlement, when they contact you, you can try to negotiate market value plus the car back. I have a mate who says he's done this successfully in the past.

Good on you for sticking to your guns Mrs Wifey. I'm off work for this week but when I return I'll submit a copy of the letter I sent. I would recommend ceasing telephone contact with them and keeping everything in writing.

On 19th July I had an operation performed by my GP to have a lump removed from my neck. I was told the operation would take about 30 minutes and that I would have a small scar afterwards. As the operation continued under local anesthetic the GP commented that it was larger than expected and that he would have to extend the incision. One and a half hours later I was stitched up the GP told me some skin had to be taken off with the lump and that he had pulled the skin across and blanket stitched it. He mentioned at the time it may need plastic surgery. I've been nearly every day to have the dressing changed as they never stick! I went to minor injuries on 25th as it had bled more than usual. I was told it was ok, cleaned up and the wound dressed again. On the 28th I woke up to find the dressing on my pillow soaked in blood. On inspection I saw the stitches had pulled through and I had a gaping hole about the size of a 10p. I again went to the hospital who said it may need plastic surgery. They dressed it again and asked me to return the following day which I did. The day after that I saw the nurse again at the GP surgery who dressed it again. I went again today and they put a different dressing on due to the others not staying on. I was then given a prescription for the dressings to take to my appointments (every day for the next week) which I assumed would be free. When I got to the chemist counter I was informed I would have to pay! I don't mind paying for my meds but paying for dressings and especially as it's their fault!? So my question is, do I have a case at all or is this normal and should I have to pay for my dressings? Thank you in advance.