The British Medical Association has belatedly intervened in the long running dispute between whistleblower cardiology consultant Dr Usha Prasad and the Epsom and St Helier University Trust (now combined with St George’s Hospital Trust).
Dr Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA, has written directly to the chief executive of the trust, Jacqueline Totterdell, asking her to drop the costs hearing and reinstate her.
Dr Prasad was facing a hearing last month where the trust was demanding that she pay 180,000 of its costs including the fees of 21 lawyers employed by Capsticks and a QC. It was called off at the last moment when one of the tribunal panel failed to turn up. The financial demand was suddenly reduced to 24,000 without any explanation from the trust at the same time. As reported previously 99.95 per cent of employment tribunals never ask the claimant to pay the employers’ costs. If it had gone ahead it would have been a record sum claimed by any health trust against one of its medical staff.
The BMA’s top level intervention by its chairman comes after a long campaign by consultants supporting Dr Prasad to ask their union to act. The BMA previously decided not to give her legal support which meant much of the time she was a litigant in person fighting 21 lawyers. One hearing which I attended, she was represented by a barrister, but the judge Tony...
Continue without agreeing We value your privacy With your agreement, we and our 386 partners use cookies or similar technologies to store, access, and process personal data like your visit on this...