Mind mental health charity worker wins £115,000 payout

Mind mental health workers ranted about ‘druggy bums’, mocked disabled people and laughed during phone call to suicidal woman on phone, says whistleblower as she wins £115,000 payout

• Mind worker who complained of colleagues won £115,657.50 in compensation 
• Catriona Robinson witnessed co-worker mocking physically disabled woman 
• She was appalled when staff branded those using service as ‘waste of space’
• Miss Robinson awarded over £115k for loss of earnings and injury to feelings

A support worker who was bullied out of her job after reporting colleagues for mocking a disabled woman and insulting the mentally ill has won more than £115,000 in compensation, a tribunal has ruled. 

Catriona Robinson was left in floods of tears after she witnessed a co-worker doing an offensive impression of a physically disabled woman.

The Mind charity worker told an employment tribunal that while she was talking to a suicidal woman on the phone, co-workers carried on laughing and swearing in the background. 

She was also appalled when other staff branded those using the services of the mental health charity as ‘druggy bums’ and ‘wastes of space’. 

Miss Robinson, then 49, said they imitated those with disabilities and that when she complained to management about their behaviour she was ‘sent to Coventry’ and the rest of her team at Mind Monmouthshire in Wales turned against her.

She later resigned, saying she had no choice after ‘witnessing foul language daily and prolonged raucous laughter’, later suing the charity for unfair dismissal.

The tribunal ruled in her favour, stating that management should have dealt with the behaviour as it was ‘so serious and so in conflict with the apparent values of the organisation’.

Now, Miss Robinson has been awarded £115,657.50 in compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings. 

Support worker, Catriona Robinson, (pictured) who was bullied out of her job after reporting colleagues for mocking a disabled woman and insulting the mentally ill has won more than £115,000 in compensation, a tribunal has ruled.

The tribunal ruled in her favour, stating that management should have dealt with the behaviour as it was ‘so serious and so in conflict with the apparent values of the organisation’

The tribunal, held in Cardiff, heard Miss Robinson worked as part of the Tenancy & Supported Living team as a support worker for Mind Monmouthshire in Abergavenny.

It was told the ‘shocked and upset’ woman witnessed her manager Jaime Devine and co-worker Gail Morris imitating people with physical disabilities.

She claimed members of the management team, including Operations Manager Bernadette Kelly, laughed along with the disgusting jokes.

When Miss Robinson, who suffers with PTSD, raised the issue to another manager, Stephanie Thomas, she received an apology from Mr Devine.

However, Mr Devine – who previously worked as a school teacher for 12 years – told her it was just ‘harmless banter’.

Miss Robinson, who is herself disabled, declined to make a formal complaint as she feared retribution from her teammates and no further action was taken.

The tribunal heard the rest of the staff segregated her after that incident and apparently continued to use ‘racially and sexually offensive’ language on a daily basis.

They claimed it was just ‘gallows humour’ which allowed them to cope with the difficult situations they were exposed to.

But Miss Robinson, who previously worked as an NHS nurse, said she found their behaviour ‘unprofessional and offensive’ – especially from staff who were helping vulnerable individuals.

She suffered anxiety and depression as a result of the bullying and was told at a work party she wasn’t liked and deserved all she got.

Miss Robinson, then 49, said they imitated those with disabilities and that when she complained to management about their behaviour she was ‘sent to Coventry’ and the rest of her team at Mind Monmouthshire (pictured) in Wales turned against her

Eventually, a formal grievance was raised but the investigation found Miss Robinson was neither bullied nor harassed for raising the complaint, although it did decide the mimicking incident was unacceptable.

After her bosses later accused her of working another job, while she was merely volunteering at another charity, she felt she had to resign.

The employment tribunal concluded: ‘The matter was so serious and so in conflict with the apparent values of the organisation as a charity which catered for the needs of those with mental health disabilities, that the manager to whom the complaint was raised ought to have dealt with this robustly.

‘We find that she did not… This was conduct that was tolerated and indeed encouraged in an open plan office by another manager and the Operations Manager.’

The tribunal concluded Miss Robinson’s claims for automatically unfair dismissal, failure to make reasonable adjustments and victimisation were well founded.

She was awarded £115,657.50 in compensation, including £48,263.20 for injury to feelings, with interest, as well as over £40,000 for loss of earnings, and smaller amounts for loss of statutory rights and expenses. 

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