Photograph by Pete
A doctor from Walsall Manor Hospital has lost his appeal over being sacked after emailing Bible quotes to his colleagues.
Dr David Drew was dismissed in 2010 by the Wallsall Healthcare NHS Trust, but claimed that this was unfair and religious discrimination. His appeal, however, was rejected by an employment tribunal, backing a previous decision made in April 2012.
Drew was originally told to keep his beliefs to himself after a nurse raised a grievance in 2009, and he was suspended for six weeks. he then claimed wrongful suspension, and an independent review was performed by the Royal College of Pediatrics, which found to support a ruling on his use of religious language in a professional setting.
After his suspension, Drew was later accused of insubordination for continuing to circulate some religious quotes to a “small number of consultants” and was offered a six-figure settlement to leave the hospital with a good reference if he signed a “gagging clause” preventing him from talking about this reason for leaving. He refused this settlement and was then sacked without the settlement after a trust disciplinary hearing, although he contends that he was actually sacked after becoming a whistle-blower about a “massive cost-cutting exercise” at the hospital.
Drew’s claims were dismissed by an employment tribunal and later an employment appeals tribunal, with the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust saying on the decisions:
“As a trust we actively encourage and support our staff to raise an issue if they are concerned about patient care.”
The Trust were keen to point out, however, that Drew’s dismissal had nothing to do with his abilities and skills as a doctor, saying:
We would like to reiterate that this case did not question Dr Drew’s skills as a paediatric consultant and on behalf of the trust would like to say that we regret that the situation had to get to the tribunal stage.