Susan Hamilton accused her colleague of ‘bullying behaviour’ while working at St Helier Hospital in south London. The spat started after a disagreement over a patient’s care in 2018, when Mr Nayeck bluntly told Ms Hamilton “I don’t like you”, the tribunal heard.
![[A nurse has been awarded £41,000 after she accused a colleague of leaving her out of a morning tea round]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/20/19/iStock-904233984.jpg)
The nurse said that from that point onwards, he became “noticeably dismissive” towards her. After mediation by hospital bosses, the pair agreed to engage in “polite” exchanges and to “communicate in a civil manner". But Ms Hamilton, who qualified in 1986, claimed the only change was that Mr Nayeck not only refused to make her tea, but the entire team.
She left her role in 2019 due to stress and returned in January 2021 when she lodged a formal complaint over the hospital’s handling of her complaints. Following her resignation later that year, she claimed “a breach of contract" had taken place that led to "a total breakdown of trust and confidence”.
The grievances against the trust were upheld but a single allegation of abuse against Mr Nayeck was dismissed. She appealed and that was upheld by the hospital. Employment Judge Kathryn Ramsden said: “The [trust] failed – over a number of years – to take adequate action in relation to Mr Nayeck’s behaviour, including when [Ms Hamilton] was made unwell due to the stress that that caused.
