Laura’s story
Laura* was referred to Hampton Trust’s ISVA service by police following a sexual incident committed by a GP at the hospital where she worked. Laura was supportive of a prosecution and required support to help her navigate the criminal justice system.
As Laura was extremely vulnerable with complex mental health needs, a support plan around her needs was put in place, which included the involvement from her mental health worker. Laura had received mental health support for many years but due to cutbacks this support was withdrawn, resulting in her feeling abandoned and attempting to take her own life. Through advocacy from the ISVA, eventually support was put back in place.
However, after two years of a police investigation, Laura was informed that the police were taking no further action and that there wouldn’t be a prosecution. This severely impacted her mental health and resulted in a spiral into severe depression. The ISVA worked closely with her mental health worker to ensure additional support was given and all risks to her safety were mitigated.
Laura was extremely disappointed with the police’s decision and wanted to raise her concerns with the Chief Executive of the hospital. The ISVA worked diligently to arrange a meeting that was attended by the ISVA in a supporting role. This meeting was a success, resulting in the Chief Executive admitting they had made a mistake employing the GP given that he had been suspended in a previous role at another hospital, and agreeing that they would not allow him back in the hospital nor would they provide him with a reference for future positions. The hospital also offered to support Laura with counselling and pay for private treatment.
With the support of the ISVA, Laura also applied for compensation. As she was awarded an amount that didn’t appear fair, the ISVA wrote a supporting letter to the CICA team appealing against the decision, resulting in the decision being overturned and Laura being awarded an amount far greater than the initial offer.
Laura decided to take this matter further and report her case to the GMC (General Medical Council), but stated that she couldn’t do it alone and asked the ISVA to support her through this. In order to facilitate this, extensive research was carried out to ensure the correct support and advice was provided over the next two and half years.
After an extremely lengthy process the GMC confirmed they had a case and were taking it to a tribunal. The ISVA was informed that the trial would not take place until a year later – considering Laura’s mental health and the time she had already been waiting, the ISVA questioned this timeline and wrote a supporting letter to the legal team outlining concerns around Laura’s vulnerabilities. The legal team took this on board and agreed to bring the trial forward by five months. When the trial concluded, the GP was found guilty on all accounts resulting in him being erased from the register.
This result was an outstanding outcome for Laura. She remains in the receipt of ISVA support to manage her exit strategy carefully due to the amount of time she has been with the service. She has shown an enormous amount of courage and strength going through extremely lengthy and gruelling police and GMC processes over the course of five years.
Laura says about her experience:
