A whistleblower NHS nurse has been awarded £462,000 after being fired for warning that increased workload had contributed to a patient’s death.
Linda Fairhall, 62, flagged her concerns at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS trust in 2016, but was given the boot by her employers. A tribunal, though, has upheld her unfair dismissal claim, but the Trust has appealed, according to a report in the Mirror.
Linda had an unblemished 40-year career when she was sacked. A judge blasted health chiefs and set what is believed to be a record award for lost salary and remedies. Today Linda, of Billingham, Teesside, said she felt “vindicated”, adding: “I want other nurses to know you can speak out. The law does protect you.” At the appeal, Judge James Tayler said the original tribunal had “reached an unimpeachable decision”.
