The retirement chaos
I had asked for time to do what was necessary for my practice before going to hospital and THIS was refused, on 3 occasions with the promise that ALL would be done for me and for me to confirm with the Dental Advisor in the Health Board and he said he would do all in his power to help and mentioned the possibility of a locum. This word suggested to me I was only to be away for a short while and was instrumental in my decision to accept the treatment. My practice was left open, haemorrhaging patients, and collapsed causing the hell I returned to in July 1998.
Totally destroying ALL the hard work I had put in in the preceding 5 months. This caused the telephone call from my receptionist a week or two into my stay in hospital (see the link in hospital on the main page) when she didn't know what to do, it the last telephone call I allowed and I was NOT allowed to make outgoing calls and followed closely when "in the park feeding the ducks".
It appears I was fully retired AND taken off the Dental Register on June 12th 1998 and then because I was technically open as I STILL received diminishing capitation payments I was in effect still working so therefore NOT retired, so was "un-retired". Then after a few traumatic letters, telephone calls I was EVENTUALLY re-retired in November 1998.
Not even the retirement proceedings with the NHS Pensions agency could be done properly by Dr A.
The Health Authority said it was their mistake, sadly NOT in writing, and said I would not suffer a financial penalty for it.
The NHS Solicitor said otherwise and I owed £4500 to be paid IMMEDIATELY.
My pension was stopped until I paid, which was a bit of a problem as my bank accounts were frozen and any incoming monies was to be used, so I learnt later, to pay off my loan for the practice, inflated sadly by the previous 5 months or so.
There are letters, in my Medical Notes, from the Dental Advisor saying my practice should be sold as a going concern dated late July or early August. TOO LATE my business was already ruined. There is a letter from another Dentist on the Local health Board that says I should be retired AND a letter from Dr A to that person, in 1999, where Dr A expresses his " concern" that I was "in conflict" with that man's advice.
YET it was Dr A's responsibility, as my GP, to tell me diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis. Which he NEVER has done.
Retirement is the singular most important act for a Professional business man. My business was my LIFE and he denied me the right to do it my way and EVEN the formality of my retirement was not done correctly. AND THIS WAS TOTALLY OUT OF MY CONTROL.
ALL caused because I, as the patient, was not given ANY knowledge of the proceedings that were under way.
Interestingly
from the medical opinion date 4th June 1998 from Dr A
but no indication that the proceedings to retire me would SOON be underway, within a week, and look what happened with said retirement proceedings with the NHS Pensions agency here.
THEN in June 1999 from Heath House Priory and written AFTER I had gone through the financial hell unleashed by my sudden disappearance and at about the time the CSA started to get really nasty. I ended up with a Deductions of Earnings Order being placed on me.
At least SOMEBODY said I was making an effort