Ms Osborne started work as a trainee medical technical officer with the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust in April 2000. She claimed that, not long after that, she had developed a disability (chronic fatigue syndrome). As a result, she stopped working in July 2000 and did not return. It seems that under NHS rules she was still on 80% pay. In March 2006, when she was almost ready to return to work, her employment was terminated on the grounds of capability.