I was shocked at the allegations and could not
understand what was going on. I walked down the
corridor, my heart beating fast and my mind racing in
different directions. I just could not understand what
was going on. When I finally arrived at her office, I was
told to take a seat and then hand over the keys to the
medication cupboard, even though I was the only
qualified nurse on duty that day. I had just been getting
ready to do the handover for the late shift when I was
told to pick up any belongings before being escorted off
the ward.
My mind had gone blank, and my body had gone
numb. I could not think straight as I got into my car, and
then started to cry thinking that my whole world had
fallen apart.
When I got home, I called my ex-boyfriend and told
him what had just happened. He advised me to call my
manager back, and I did so, and she just informed me that
I would be receiving a letter soon. I thanked her and then
ended the call, but I could not accept what was happening.
I received a letter the 2nd May, which clearly
outlined that I had been suspended with immediate
effect. The term 'immediate effect' confused me as I had
been at work on the 29th April and off duty the next day,
which left me confused as to what discussions had taken
place and how they had had arrived at that decision.
I had been suspended indefinitely so it seemed, and
during this time there had been a number of investigations.
Lord Justice Elias: "Suspension should be a last
resort after all other reasonable options have been
considered. For example, a temporary adjustment to the
employee's working arrangements can remove the need
to suspend, e.g. being moved to a different area of the
workplace."
The reason for an employee being on suspension
should be reviewed on an ongoing basis and be
timebound. In the judgment, Lord Justice Elias made
some additional comments which are of great interest to
employers. "In a shorter time frame and that
consideration should have been given to the
unblemished service of some 20 years by each of the
two nurses. "During the time I was seeing my GP who
referred me to a psychologist; we had several meetings
once a week and my sickness record went through the
roof. I was struggling. I knew that I needed to attend
these sessions on time but I had to drag myself out of
bed each morning. I felt like a fly in a jar which had a
lid on, and I felt nobody was listening to me. I felt
destroyed and the anger inside became toxic. My doctor
was worried about me, and he had advised me to seek
counselling as he was concerned that I might kill myself
or do something stupid, but I reassured him this was not
going to be the case. I knew my children would never
forgive me if I did that, but I was struggling, so he
prescribed antidepressants and a sleeping pill called
zopiclone. I was struggling to cope and I just needed to
be alone.