A former hospital chief executive who was unfairly dismissed for being a ‘whistle blower’ has won £1.2m in compensation.
John Watkinson was sacked from his position at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) in 2009, and in May 2010 an Employment Tribunal found that he had been removed because he had opposed the Trust’s plans to transfer some of its cancer services out of Cornwall to Devon.
The RCHT is appealing against the ruling that Mr Watkinson was dismissed for being a ‘whistle blower’, so the award is pending the result of this appeal. Mr Watkinson described the judgement as ‘bittersweet’.
He said that even though the award was substantial, it was no replacement for his previous 35 year NHS career, which he had fully expected to last until his retirement.
In a statement, Mr Watkinson said that the dismissal was still hindering his job search.
“It seems I can hold out little or no hope of a senior role in the service to which I have dedicated my professional life,” he said.
“For me, the most important thing remains the judgement of the Employment Tribunal that restored my good name and reputation. Receipt of the award determined in today’s judgment is dependent on me achieving a successful outcome at the appeal.”
The tribunal judgement found that Mr Watkinson, who started his NHS career as a hospital porter in 1974, had achieved his CEO status through ‘ability and hard work.’ They ruled the 2009 dismissal as being ‘substantively unfair’ because he was about to blow the whistle about legal advice that suggested the NHS should have held a public consultation before it decided to move some of its cancer services to Plymouth.
The RCHT, which did admit that it unfairly dismissed Mr Watkinson, would not comment on the recent judgement due to the appeal. The Independent Reconfiguration Panel has since approved the transfer of cancer services, saying that the decision was in patients’ best interests and would ensure the ‘highest quality of care’. The move was backed by Secretary of State Andrew Lansley.
