An NHS manager allegedly told a sick ex-colleague 'karma is a b***h' before calling her 'pathetic' and a 'fat cow'.
Shaun Chadwick, a senior executive partner at Spectrum Health in Leicestershire, has also been accused of regularly fat shaming another colleague.
He's also been accused of sharing questions inspectors were due to ask during a visit - prepping staff ahead of being assessed.
The health boss denied all allegations and released a statement this week, Leicestershire Live reports.
Chadwick's former colleague, who asked to remain anonymous, commented on a Facebook post made by a mutual friend.
But he is alleged to have replied: "Sorry to hear about your poor health - karma is a b****. I hear you’re as miserable as always. Pathetic woman.”
He then is said to have messaged her directly and wrote: “Grow up you fat cow and happy cleaning, because that’s all you’re worth. Council scum.”
The former colleague responded to his comments with insults and abusive language of her own, but says she only did this because he instigated the exchange and was outraged he had been so unpleasant to her about her illness.
She told LeicestershireLive : "It really upset me to think someone could think that of me, I also want him to know that I would have just ignored this behaviour while working for him. But now I'm stronger and I want him to know he can't talk to me like that."
"I felt as though he was always laughing at me in meetings, always picking at things he said I hadn't done. When he started working at the surgery we got on really well, but somewhere along the line he started to dislike me.
"He was one of the reasons I left and since then I had blocked him on everything and had no contact. I'm not even friends with him on Facebook, but he saw me comment on a mutual friend's post. I did not in a million years expect to get what I got from him".
The online incident was reported to the Clinical Commissioning Group, CQC and Leicestershire Police.
Another former colleague has accused Mr Chadwick of fat-shaming her by nicknaming her ‘Chubbs’ and joking about a caricature of her created for the surgery.
In a Microsoft Teams message, one of their former colleagues asks if anyone ‘wants anything from the Co-op?’ to which Mr Chadwick appears to reply: “Don’t ask Chubbs” before posting a picture of the Pixar character Baymax.
She also says when a number of staff caricatures were created, the drawing of her made her look ‘fatter than she actually was’. She added that she asked for it not to be used, but it was still put up at the surgery and on its website.
During a conversation where staff were discussing the caricatures in a Microsoft Teams chat, Mr Chadwick reportedly wrote: “It looks like [she] is about to explode” followed by a laughing emoji.
The woman said she did not challenge him directly about his behaviour at the time, but said she felt uncomfortable complaining.
She added: "I asked him to change it and not use it, but it was posted on the website and put up in the surgery. He said to me 'don't worry you don't have that many chins' and walked off laughing. It still haunts me to this day."
The former employee says Mr Chadwick's behaviour made her feel suicidal and reliant on antidepressants. She said: "I feel I have let myself down and him win."
Mr Chadwick has also been accused of sharing questions that Care Quality Commission inspectors were due to ask staff at one of his practices during a forthcoming inspection, which is a breach of the rules a CQC rules on confidentiality.
He was a specialist advisor for the CQC at the time, while he was also executive manager at nine practices across Leicestershire. But he told LeicestershireLive in 2020 that he was stepping down from his role due to his concerns within the CQC.
The email sharing the questions asks colleagues to treat the documents "in the strictest of confidence" and instructs them not to have them on the day of the inspection.
He goes on to tell staff to familiarise themselves with the questions the inspectors will be asking and to approach him if anyone was "unsure of the answers."
The CQC has confirmed sharing inspection framework with staff at a surgery is a breach of the agreement for specialist advisors that Mr Chadwick would have signed before accepting the role in 2014.
A CQC spokesperson said they would not be investigating the allegations because Mr Chadwick is no longer a specialist advisor.
The spokesperson added: "Shaun Chadwick used to work at the CQC as a specialist advisor in primary medical services, however he is no longer employed by the CQC. We are not aware that he sent an email to a GP practice including details about the CQC inspection framework."
All of the above accusations have also been put to Mr Chadwick, Spectrum Health, NHS England and Leicestershire and Rutland CCG. Mr Chadwick has denied the allegations to LeicestershireLive .
A Spectrum Health spokesman said: "Mr Chadwick denies allegations made and legal proceedings via our solicitor and Leicestershire Police have commenced.
"Mr Chadwick takes such allegations extremely seriously and therefore ordered an external facilitator to investigate working culture at Spectrum Health.
“We can confirm that such allegations are grossly inaccurate and insulting."
A joint statement from NHS England and LLR CCGs said: “We cannot comment on ongoing individual cases, but we are aware of concerns which have been raised and we are working to investigate following the appropriate NHS complaint processes.”
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