Legal news

"Whistle blower" wins over £1 million in compensation

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
1 min read
This blog is more than 15 years old

A former hospital boss who was sacked after opposing plans to transfer some cancer services has been awarded £1.2m in compensation.

John Watkinson, who was chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT), was sacked in 2009. He claimed that this was because he had argued against plans to move some cancer services from Cornwall to Devon.

The employment tribunal into his dismissal ruled that that the decision taken by the trust was ‘substantively unfair’ as Mr Watkinson was about to reveal legal advice which suggested that the trust should have held a public consultation before moving services to Plymouth. The RCHT admitted that it unfairly dismissed Mr Watkinson but is appealing against the ruling that their former chief executive was a whistle blower.

Last month the Independent Reconfiguration Panel approved the transfer of services from Cornwall to Devon, saying that it was in the patients’ best interests as it would provide a better standard of care. The move was also supported by the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

More Winston Solicitors news

Client feedback

Sidraa and Paulo were extremely good dealing with our house sale and purchase. We were kept updated at each stage of the process and found it easy to contact them when we wanted a to have a chat. Thank you for making everything run smoothly.
Brian
As executors of my Mum’s estate we needed to apply for Probate. We met with Monika Volsing to discuss Probate and she talked us through the process and was very friendly and helpful. Any questions we had were always answered promptly. The whole process was very quick and we cannot fault anything.
Tracy
I have found Winston’s excellent in dealing with our conveyance. This firm totally deserve 5 stars and industry awards received. They are professional, friendly and respond to all docs in an extremely straightforward way. Their pricing is also extremely reasonable. I would have no hesitation in recommending this firm and would use them again should the need arise. I would like to give a special mention to The legal representative Michelle Ayres, who dealt with the sale of mum’s house in an extremely efficient and safe manner.
Melanie
have used Winston Solicitors many times when buying and selling houses wnd would use them again if the need arose.
Tony
Extremely responsive and helpful. Always knew what stage of the process I was at
Zoe
Winston Solicitors helped me with the purchase of my first ever property. I worked directly with Leasa Foster and Julie Smith. From start to finish they were very efficient and offered detailed information for each step of the way. As a first-time buyer, I wasn’t familiar with the process or what to expect, so having everything explained clearly and receiving detailed guidance at every stage was very helpful. Whenever I had a question or needed to discuss something, there was always someone available to assist, even when Leasa was not there. I always felt well supported and guided throughout the process, which made everything feel straightforward and ensured the purchase went as smoothly as possible. I’m very happy that I chose Winston Solicitors and would highly recommend them.
Anonymous
Great service the team at Winston’s solicitors are amazing at what they do! Thank again guys
Anonymous
Winston Solicitors represented me excellently and we're in frequent contact me throughout the process. The staff are very helpful and communicate exceptionally well. I am very thankful for there assistance during a very stressful period of my life.
Nathan
Contact us