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Patrick , 2 points. Firstly, the Chief Executive of NHS Wales, Dr Andrew Goodall, considers that 80% of patients who visit his A&E units did not need urgent treatment. So it is very reasonable for a receptionist to presume that not all patients in front of her demanding urgent treatment do in fact actually need urgent treatment.

Secondly, the analogous situation in a solicitor's office would be if courts imposed a duty upon the solicitor's receptionist requiring him/her to advise the potential client (with a close to statute barred claim) that a claim form must be issued within 3 years in order to avoid a limitation defence and further to advise that Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1981 provides the Court with a wide discretion to disapply the primary limitation period of three years if it is equitable to do so and further require the receptionist to list the requisite circumstances to which the court is to have regard when reaching its decision.

Because it might be possible that on being told that the "time limit is 3 years" such a person might not bring their claim at all and therefore would lose out on the chance of being allowed to proceed with it after successfully utilising a Section 33 Limitation Act 1981 argument.

I presume this is the advice that the receptionists at Russell Cooke are trained to deliver to clients with nearly statute barred claims ?