An NHS ambulance worker who was let go after her wife tried to beat their boss to death with a hammer has won an unfair dismissal claim against her former employer. Paula Smith had worked for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Trust for 26 years in the Patient Transport Service, helping to transport patients to and from hospital.
A role for which an elemernt of trust should be a requirement due to dealing with the genuinely vulnerable, so understandably, her employers declsred her a liability. And a tribunal has declared they were wrong to sack her, just because she was in a relationship with an unstable violent woman.
It's as if risk profiling doesn't matter anymore...
She sometimes worked alongside her wife, Stacey Smith, who had a similar role, though the pair were not guaranteed time off together. But after a years-long dispute over shift patterns, Stacey attacked their boss, Michala Morton, in November 2023. Stacey had lain in wait outside Ms Morton's home in Tameside before bludgeoning her head with a hammer, fracturing Ms Morton's wrist as she tried to defend herself. She then sent a text to an unknown acquaintance, writing: 'I've done it. I've smashed her head in. Oppsie (sic) xx!'
And now Paula's in line for a big payout as a result. I don't know why anyone does the Lotto these days.
*You really couldn’t make it up!
Lesbians, huh? I expect the hammer only had one ball - the wielder had none at all ...
ReplyDelete😃
DeletePlaying Devil's advocate, I'm not sure that you are on solid ground firing somebody for the actions of a third party, even if they are in a close relationship with said party. The basic fact is that Paula Smith had done nothing wrong in her professional capacity and her bad choice of partner was a private matter and wasn't anything to do with her job. I can see why the judgement might seem to be crazy, but when you pick it apart it sort of makes sense.
ReplyDeleteStonyground.
No indeed, that seems to be the opinion of the tribunal, but surely the risk factor needs to be considered if the employee did not tutn the offendor in?
Delete"Her wife..." That's all you need to read really.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
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