January 30, 2012
Care worker Sue Angold was sacked from her job at a sheltered housing block after assisting an elderly lady who had fallen. Ms Angold responded to the alarm raised by the pensioner who was soaked in urine and unable to get up to clean herself. She was dismissed by Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP) because she helped her get on to the commode and wash without waiting for assistance from trained staff with a hoist.
Ms Angold was also evicted from the home she had lived in for 20 years at the Seven Acres Housing Development as it came with her job as area manager. SHP claimed she had failed to adhere to health and safety rules during the incident which took place in May 2010.
Ms Angold took a claim to the employment tribunal but lost and is now seeking the assistance of a lawyer who can act for her with legal aid to appeal the verdict. She believes that she was sacked because she had raised concerns over the management of the Partnership. She said “The woman was crying and in an awful state. In the care profession you can't just say it's not part of my job. I did the right thing but as a result I've lost my job and my home. This wasn't an isolated incident. The management knew that, but were out to get me because I was a whistle-blower and had raised concerns about poor leadership and how residents' needs weren't being met."
