How Solicitors Can Help Whistleblowers With Unfair Dismissal
It is not uncommon to hear about it in the news, but many people working across different professions might not agree with the conduct they have seen in their place of work and turn to whistleblowing. In some cases, it might lead to the individual receiving an unfair dismissal. However, solicitors could provide essential advice needed for the best course of action to take going forward.
The Lancaster Guardian reports on a surgeon who was awarded damage costs after he was forced to leave his position at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust for whistleblowing.
Peter Duffy spoke out about the medical negligence he had witnessed and said he was unfairly treated by his colleagues when he raised those issues to the Care Quality Commission at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
The surgeon, who has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the treatment he received from his fellow workers, told an employment tribunal: “I am far too frightened to ever consider returning to the NHS, despite my lifelong vocation to serving this organisation and its laudable values, which I still emphatically believe in. The very sight of the NHS logo makes me feel sick.”
Mr Duffy also compared the experience to being in “prison or like being deported”. However, the legal battle shows that he came out on top for his actions. He has won the case at a tribunal in Manchester and received a settlement of £102,000.
You might find that this case is like an experience that you have had at a previous job. It is important to not only consider if the dismissal against you was unfair, but if you have also had a short or long-term health impact because of the treatment you were subjected to.