A HOSPITAL worker who won an age harassment employment tribunal after she was “intimidated” by an off-duty midwife has been awarded £4,328.

A sonographer for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, named only as Mrs Sawyers in tribunal documents, received the sum after a tribunal made a ruling in March last year.

It was ruled ‘obstacles’ were put in her way when she tried complaining, while the tribunal heard she had been shouted at during an incident in March 2019.

Senior midwife Beverly Lynn was attending a scan with her daughter-in-law.

She had called to say she would be late and asked another midwife to carry out the appointment but arrived to find the scan already underway.

The midwife was heard shouting ‘Can you not read?’ and ‘I’m a midwife’ during the exchange.

The incident left the worker “embarrassed, shocked and intimidated after being shouted at by an experienced healthcare professional when she had done nothing wrong.”

Mrs Sawyers started an internal complaint the same day but was not advised she could make a formal grievance.

An investigator, named as Ms Macey in documents, was appointed and both Ms Lynn and another sonographer were interviewed.

The tribunal found the investigation was “woefully inadequate and her decision was biased”.

It added Ms Macey had failed “even to interview the claimant” and “recorded materially inaccurate reasons for closing the investigation”.

In June 2019 the claimant made a formal grievance and another meeting was held but the tribunal found it was “dismissive of the claimant’s concerns”.

The grievance was later closed without being resolved.

The tribunal report said: “There was an attitude the claimant was overreacting and should just accept the apology pressed upon her.

“Procedural obstacles were being put in the way of the complaint which, we infer, were designed to press the claimant to accept informal resolution and the gravity of the complaint and the effect of what had happened were not being taken seriously.”

Her other claims over age and race discrimination and victimisation were dismissed.

Giles Thorpe, chief nurse at the trust, said: “We are extremely sorry for the distress Ms Sawyers has experienced and have significantly strengthened the way in which we manage concerns raised by colleagues.”