A former NHS director who was responsible for turning the hospital where Lucy Letby babies killed babies was bullied from her work when she was insisting on putting patients for cutting the costs, found an employment tribunal.
Dr. Susan Gilby was promoted to the top track at the Scandal hit Countess of Chester Hospital in September 2018, after the sudden departure of predecessor Tony Chambers.
Mr. Chambers, who was in charge during the killing of Letby, was forced three months after the first arrest of the Neo-Natal Nurse for the trust for the confidence of their suspicions.
Dr. Gilby told an employment tribunal, in Liverpool, that she successfully navigated the hospital through the COVID-19 Pandemie and took steps in the improvement hospital board at the end of 2021.
She said that she was 'harassed, intimidated and undermined' by Mr Haythornthwaite, who she accused of placing finances and cost savings before the patient's safety.
When she complained and 'blew the whistle' about his 'aggressive' behavior, she was suspended and shortly thereafter decreased her position, in December 2022.
Dr. Gilby, an anestheetist of the consultant, submitted a claim for unfair dismissal against the hospital and Mr. Haythornthwaite, and yesterday a judge held her claim in a damn verdict and said it was 'well substantiated'. Dr. Gilby is now in line for a payment of seven digits.
The tribunal showed that after the complaint from Dr. Gilby, Mr. Haythornthwaite and other board members came up with a plan, Codenaam 'Project Countess' to get rid of her.
Dr. Susan Gilby (photo) stands in line for a payout after she was bullied out of work in the countess of the Chester Hospital after she insisted that they put patients before cutting the costs
Dr. Gilby was promoted to the role of Chief Executive in the hospital in September 2018, where Lucy Letby turned out to have killed babies, after the resignation of Tony Chambers
Documents, letters and e -mails related to her time in the hospital, including a favorable assessment that was performed in 2019/2020, were also deleted and destroyed, said Dawn Shotter.
Dr. Gilby told the mail that she was 'completely destroyed' by the way in which she was treated at the countess, but now felt 'completely justified' by the findings of the judge.
“My experiences in the hands of trust and its representatives have had a devastating effect on my mental health, my trust and my reputation,” she said. 'The actions of trust have destroyed my confidence in my ability to perform a role of a senior management, whether it is in the NHS.
“In recent years there were nothing less than torture. I could not have endured this without the infallible trust and the power of my husband. My career has taken from me without justification and the financial losses we suffered are considerable.
“However, I was not willing to endanger my integrity, so I put my confidence in the judicial system.”
Letby, 35, was convicted of killing seven babies and tried to kill seven more about the neo-natal unity of the hospital
She said that the board in the hospital, which contained five accountants, was obsessed by giving priority to cuts and finances over the safety of the patient. She described the destruction of evidence by unknown officers in the trust 'in an attempt to' hide misconduct 'as' particularly shocking'.
“The time for this behavior to be acceptable within the NHS is over, it has to stop,” she added.
'I believe I was pushed out of a role that I wanted to spend in the last years of a 30-year-old flawless health care record because I had blown the whistle about the controlling and bullying behavior of the leader of a group of financial specialists, many of them are still Always in the post at the countess, and were bent in hell when placing finance about patient care. '
Dr. Gilby told The Tribunal about a 'painful and traumatizing' meeting, in July 2022, when she tried to talk to Mr. Haythornthwaite about their deteriorating working relationship.
She said: 'Ian launched a fierce verbal attack on me and hit different buttons with his hand on the table to emphasize the points he wanted to make. He repeatedly focused on what he said was 'wrong' with me, and what he said that others had also said was 'wrong' with me. His behavior was threatening and disturbing. It was bullying, pure and simple. '
Then Dr. Gilby complained, discovered the tribunal, the then head of Human Resources, Nicola Price, did not succeed in starting an investigation and instead worked with Mr. Haythornthwaite and other board members to force her.
In October 2022, a month after Dr. Gilby has returned to work after he was signed with stress, one of the non-executive drivers of the hospital, Ros Fallon, asked her to meet her in a local pub and told her it was time to go. '
Dr. Gilby told the post that she was 'completely destroyed' by the way she was treated at the countess (photo) but now felt 'extensively justified' by the findings of the judge
Mrs. Fallon told Dr. Gilby that 'processes' would be introduced if she did not agree, what she took as a threat. She said she was 'shocked' and 'blinded', but because the trial against Letby had not started long at Manchester Crown Court, she found it inappropriate to 'leave' the hospital in such a difficult time and initially refused .
However, she was formally suspended on December 2 and felt that she had no choice but to resign.
Letby, 35, was convicted of killing seven babies and tried to kill seven about the neo-Natal unit of the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
A spokesperson for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We recognize the outcome of the tribunal and will now perform a thorough assessment of the findings in the written judgment.”
Mr. Haythornnthwaite is still the current chairman. Mrs Fallon and MS Price have since left confidence.
Mr. Haythornthwaite, 65, refused to comment when he was approached by the mail in his large-free house, in Fulwood, Preston.
