Skip to main content
Legal news

Whistleblower thrown off course

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
2 min read

A student nurse who complained about the poor treatment of elderly patients at Stafford Hospital has been forced off her training course.

Barbara Allatt told of a ‘culture of bullying’ during placements at Stafford Hospital and Cannock Chase Hospital, both part of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust which was the subject of an inquiry into between 400 and 1,200 unexpected deaths at the trust between 2005 and 2008.

Two years after the inquiry, Miss Allatt reported seeing colleagues leave patients in soiled sheets, shout at dementia sufferers and secretly slip sedatives into a cup of tea. She reported her concerns to university tutors, hospital mentors and senior nurses but claims she was ‘fobbed off’.

She had been a good student who had passed her exams and received glowing reports from her work placements but in January she was suspended due to her ‘behaviour, attitude and fitness to practice’. She was supported by the Royal College of Nursing but lost two appeals and subsequently lost her place on the course.

Miss Allatt is planning to sue the university for breaching the Public Interest Disclosure Act which is aimed at protecting whistleblowers. She also intends taking legal action against the trust for bullying.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278533/The-nurse-victimised-whistleblower-Trainee-thrown-exposing-abuse-shamed-hospital.html

More Winston Solicitors news

Client feedback

First time we’d done anything like wills. Monika understood our outline requirements, and guided us carefully through the process through to signing. We were delighted with the service we received from Monika and the team at Winston’s, and would absolutely recommend them to others.
Graeme
I was very pleased with the service provided. Advice provided in a timely and efficient manner, very clear and concise.
Anonymous
Sidraa did the conveyancing on our recent house sale and purchase and she was outstanding. She is so thorough but also keeps you constantly updated removing a lot of the anxiety about the process. She was also ably helped by Paulo. Thank you for all the hard work you put in on our behalf.
Kathryn
Great from start to finish. Kept updated at all times. Michelle was also good at replying to my emails,I would highly recommend to anyone.
Jonathan
Lease has been amazing getting all my documents ready for my house purchase, she was rapid at responding to my email and replying back to any queries I had. I would surely recommend it Winston solicitor to my family and friends.
Fatima
Can’t recommend Winston solicitors enough especially Heidi for all of her help and patience, I was ready to give up with my claim but Heidi showed huge determination and patience in ensuring I got some justice, amazing service and the staff work tirelessly to help their customers
Alannah
I cannot recommend Samira at Winston Solicitors enough. She worked tirelessy to defend our case and her knowledge and professionalism, along with her ongoing support, helped to make a very stressful situation easier to manage. Would I recommmend again, in a heartbeat!
Ben
I used Winston solicitors for the purchase of my first home. They were absolutely fantastic, especially Michelle who was my solicitor. She was so kind and friendly. She answered every question I have and was very responsive and easy to get a hold of. I highly recommend Winston solicitors and Michelle especially:)
Tomas
Contact us