Hello, my name is Lindsey. I am an Occupational Therapist with the NHS and I work with the elderly in rehabilitation following a hospital stay. I help to get elderly people home and to have some quality of life when they get there.

A car is essential to my job, for example I go to patient's homes to make sure they are safe and set up to get home, I deliver them equipment, I sometimes even take them home from hospital myself when there is no patient transport. I use my car a lot for my NHS job.

When I started, it was the beginning of lockdown and practically impossible to buy second hand car. So I had to take a lease car through the NHS and paid for it through monthly deductions on my salary. Nothing fancy, a tiny VW E-Up electric rollerskate. In the NHS, when people use their car for work they claim back the cost of the mileage at the end of the month.

For the 3.5 years that I did my job I never claimed any of my business mileage back, I just paid for it myself. I thought I was doing the NHS a favour, cash-strapped as they are. I did all those miles going to patient's houses, covering at different units due to staff shortages, taking patients home. All on my own dime.

And here comes the rub. I gave my car back. Partly end of the lease and partly because I was burnt-out and needed to change my role in the NHS. Then the Invoice came. Because I had made a mistake, that I didn't claim my mileage to ‘prove’ I used my car for work, they essentially Fined me for the miles as all being 'personal miles'. Despite knowing I did patient visits - literally seeing me going back and forth, and sometimes even coming with me to patient's homes. No discretion or willingness for negotiation to meet me even less than half way.

Where does that leave me? I have to pay back a Huge £2,084.95.

A part of this total bill (£572 of it) is repairs - I totally concede to that. My terrible parking skills ruined the wheel trims. It's totally fair.

But a £1,475.00 "fine", for fuel that I have already paid for to fulfil my job. Money I have Saved the NHS by not claiming back. To put into context, my EV charge cost about .22p per mile and the NHS would only compensate me .07p per mile - but that's by the by. I PAID to work and now I am being FINED for not claiming my mileage back.

As you can imagine this is a punch in the gut. What makes it harder is that I can hardly afford to pay it back. And so here I am, shouting about the injustice of it, imploring compassionate people to help.

If anyone reading this is moved to support me, maybe you've been helped by Occupational Therapy before or maybe you're just incensed at the unfairness of my plight, I will be using any donations to put towards the milage portion of the invoice. I can't express how grateful I am, for even just hearing me out by reading this far!