The Claimant, a medical doctor, worked from 2018 onwards as a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at the University Hospital Lewisham which is operated by the Respondent NHS trust. The ET found that there were serious issues with the neonatology department at the hospital including some dysfunctional working relationships between consultants. The Claimant brought a claim of having suffered detriments as a result of making a protected disclosure. The ET found that the Claimant did not have a reasonable belief that her disclosure concerning the failure to adopt guidelines tended to show that the health or safety of any individual has been, was being or was likely to be endangered. The Claimant appealed.

The EAT dismissed the appeal. There was no error of law in the ET’s findings that (1) the Claimant did not have a reasonable belief that the relevant parts of her allegedly protected disclosures tended to show that the health or safety of any individual had been, was being or was likely to be endangered and (2) the making of any disclosures by the Claimant did not have a material influence on the decisions of the Respondent which were detrimental to her.