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

I really appreciated my solicitor, Keertan. They were very patient, helpful and compassionate despite my own issues with sending ID off. I ended up sorting out my ID, and everything worked out. Thank you!!
Esther
Olivia and the team at Winston Solicitors were really helpful and supportive every step of the way to buying my first home. I found their online portal super helpful to see what still needed to be done and understand each step of the process.
Samantha
Winston solicitors supported me excellently through my employment law case.
Anonymous
The conveyancing team, led by Samantha Robertson-Strong have been excellent in guiding us through both the sale and purchase of our houses. Always communicative and happy to explain aspects of the process. Highly recommend.
Anonymous
Amanda and the entire Winston Solicitors team were exceptional from start-to-finish. As our 'point person' on my father's personal injury case (and not being in any way legally minded ourselves), Amanda guided us effortlessly through the requirements, evidence & documentation needed along the way, and timelines with different possible outcomes (never overstated, just refresgingly honest). My dad (at the time 88 but by settlement approaching 90) was kept in the loop at all times, able to make decisions for himself due to the professionalism and care of Amanda.Would highly recommend Amanda and the Winston team - really impressed.
Robin
Olivia Cooke and her team provided an excellent service throughout our property sale. The team were efficient, clear, and kept us well informed at every stage. The conveyancing process was handled smoothly and professionally. Highly recommended Winston Solicitors. We were particularly impressed with our conveyancing assistant, Amanda Lester, who kept us updated and made the process a great experience!
Girish
Samantha and team were exceptional from start to finish of my house buying process. I can not speak highly of them enough and would recommend them to all my friends and family.
Mr R
We have used Winston Solicitors twice Recently we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them or use them in the future.Samantha Strong in particular went the extra mile .
Mr and Mrs Wood
Contact us