The latest statistics on health and safety at work for the year 2017/18 are a sobering reminder of just how dangerous certain occupations can be and the continued need for employer vigilance and compliance with measures designed to protect their workforce from harm. Headline figures The stand out headline figures in this latest …
Read MoreAsbestos is certainly a potential cause of lung cancer but around 85% of all lung cancers are believed to be caused by smoking. Many people therefore believe that making some sort of claim for compensation that will help them in easing the effects of their illness is not worth making, since they think a …
Read MoreLeysa Jane Hardy is not an IDU member, but her case is a good example of the expertise and lifetime support IDU members can draw on in similar unfortunate circumstances. Paul Ashurst tells how she got the help she needed. Leysa was involved in an atrocious road traffic accident that left her …
Read MoreThrough IDU Legal, union members have access to one of the largest law firms to be accredited under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. A firm that has helped more people move home throughout Great Britain than any conveyancing solicitors and has been the preferred conveyancing partner of consumer organisation Which? since 2016. So they …
Read MoreThe decision to entrust a loved one to the care of others is never an easy one to make. Moving a relative into a residential care home or a nursing home can be a difficult and emotional experience. The state of your relative’s health means that this decision may well be taken out of your …
Read MoreMr Bussey was a plumber, installing domestic heaters and boilers. As part of his work he had to saw, handle and manoeuvre asbestos pipes and rope. He was exposed to ‘safe’ low levels of asbestos (as defined in a Technical Data Note (TDN13) issued by the Factory Inspectorate in 1970) between 1965 and 1968 and …
Read MoreAny doctor or healthcare professional should obtain their patient’s permission or agreement to undergo a course of treatment – now termed ‘informed consent’ following a Supreme Court judgment in the case of Montgomery –v- Lanarkshire Health Board in March 2015. This means that a doctor or healthcare professional should discuss all the treatment options (not …
Read MoreChallenging an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) In September 2014, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms came into effect. From 1 September 2014, any child or young person referred to a local authority for assessment was considered under the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan assessment process. Department for …
Read MoreThe tragic case of Oliver McGowan, who died at Southmead hospital in Bristol after being given an antipsychotic drug against his and his family’s wishes, highlights the complexity of what exactly is in the ‘best interests’ of a person who lacks capacity. Oliver had epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism and despite the family begging doctors …
Read More
Mesothelioma is a disease commonly associated with men who have worked with asbestos. Yet in the last decade it is reported that there has been a greater increase in the incidence rates of women suffering from mesothelioma (25%) as compared to men (6%). Mesothelioma is a cancerous tumour which can affect the lining of …
Read More