Warning!

Just thought I should put a warning out there for anyone thinking of going through the court process. I was dragged through the courts for 2 years, self represented against barristers.
Despite a ruling largely in my daughters favour we have been subjected to a continuous stream of bullying solicitor''s letters.
I have now been diagnosed with severe high blood pressure, a damaged heart and eyesight due to high BP over a long period of time, not picked up as I am not overweight and a bit of a fitness freak.
So now my daughter is left with one parent totally unable to care for her due to stroke and another under imminent threat of having a heart attack or stroke.Have been advised to give up work but can''t afford to.
Think carefully before you drag someone to court. You probably will not achieve your goals and may destroy the other parent''s health in the process.

Annie,
I am so sorry to read your post having followed your story from the start. Many wikis will relate to having been very stressed by circumstances and becoming ill as a result.

This has been a long hard struggle for you and all you wanted was to protect your daughter.

Now you have to look after yourself and make the most of what the doctors can do to make you well. Can you take some time off work with pay?

Annie

I am so sorry to hear this. It has been a long hard road for you and your daughter. I must echo what Mitchum has said. See if you can get some paid sick leave and give yourself some recovery time.

X

Thank you both for your continuing support, I will look into taking time off, though find I am better when kept busy! Luckily for me and my daughter we only have a few more years with the threat of family courts hanging over us. I really feel for those with young children who have possibly years of uncertainty ahead of them.

Are you a member of a company pension scheme?

Yes I have a teacher''s pension but it is not a great amount as I worked part time when the children were small.

If your doctor is advising you give up work, then it''s advice you need to follow. I suspect your doctor isn''t in agreement that you need to be kept busy.

If your medical condition is permanent and severe, you can apply for ill health retirement. Sounds like your doctor is suggesting this if he is advising that you need to stop working.

If you have an occupational pension scheme, you should be able to retire on the grounds of ill health subject to trustee consent they will pay you anything up to your existing salary up until retirement then you can access your pension.

If you can work in a less stressful occupation, you can apply for partial ill health retirement where your ill health pension will make up the difference between a lower salary for a lesser paid role that can be undertaken without deteriment to your health.

Given your GPs rather definitive diagnosis, you have a duty to report these comments to your employer and to be assessed by your employer on whether you are able to continue working. Having these comments in your medical record and not reporting them to your employer would not be acceptable to them if they have cause to access your medical records in connection with any future issues with your health.

The last thing you need is to find yourself in a scenario where you make your health worse by acting against your doctors advice and failing to ensure your employer has accurate information about your health. Your employer has a duty of care and your responsibility is to make sure they have all the facts in relation to your health.

Please explore the pension options without delay as I am not sure your assumptions about affordability of ill health retirement are correct.