Days after being told he will lose his job in just four weeks, North East Ambulance Service whistleblower Paul Calvert has launched a Crowdfunder as he looks to challenge his treatment.
Paul was told on Monday that his employment will be terminated in four week's time. He said that while the reason cited for this is that "there has been an irreconcilable breakdown in the employment relationship and an irretrievable loss of trust and confidence between both parties", he believes that his dismissal is as a result of whistleblowing.
After news of Paul's dismissal broke, a NEAS spokesperson said: "It is important to us that our staff can speak up to highlight concerns" and added that they had tried to support Paul back to work but were "unable to find a path for his return".
He first spoke up internally more than three years ago to raise concerns about NEAS not fully disclosing documents to the coroner's courts and doing so in a timely manner. He claims to have been ignored and subjected to bullying following this - but in 2020 an independent report from NHS auditors and counter-fraud firm AuditOne found that, as of June 2020, "the Trust is still not proactively disclosing information and / or documents when appropriate".
The investigators also found some "lengthy delays" in the process at this time. NEAS accepted there had been issues in the past and that it had previously "let down" families concerned, but maintains these do not persist.
Paul has previously discussed feeling in "limbo" after taking sick leave due to mental ill health. He believes these health issues are due to his treatment at work. Now, in setting up the fundraiser, he said: "I am [an] NHS whistleblower and spoke out about my employer covering up their mistakes, hiding these from the patients families, regulators and other agencies."
He was advised not to attend a meeting to discuss his employment held on December 12 by his GP - he had been provided with a further sick note. But the meeting took place despite this.
He added that he hoped to fund a legal defence over his treatment, and said: "There is no accountability, but your funding could help change this. Hiding failings from families prevents necessary learning, affecting outcomes and the safety of patients.
"In respect of which, I would be very grateful to anyone who can help me achieve my goal and hold those responsible to account."
Paul earlier this week told ChronicleLive: "I wouldn't care if it was the case I had done anything wrong - but I don't believe I have done anything wrong. But in four weeks time I won't have a job as a result of making disclosures in the public interest. That's a bit hard to swallow. What kind of message does it send out?"
Now, he has launched the crowdfunding drive - aiming to raise £10,000 for legal support. He has pledged to donate any unspent money to the Quinn's Retreat charity set up in the name of Shildon teenager Quinn Evie Milburn Beadle.
Quinn Evie died in 2018. The circumstances around her death formed one of the cases examined by AuditOne after Paul and others raised concerns. Investigators found that the first paramedic on the scene of her death did not attempt "full advanced life support" before declaring her death. At the time, paramedics and police who were on the scene raised concerns about this - and an internal investigation took place.
However the coroner presiding over her inquest was not informed that an investigation had been undertaken. AuditOne examined Quinn Evie's case and those of several others. This summer, following media attention and Paul's decision to speak out publicly, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England announced what they called an "independent review" into NEAS' conduct.
This is led by former NHS hospital boss Dame Marianne Griffiths, but is yet to return findings.
Following the termination of Paul's employment, a NEAS spokesperson said: "After being absent for the past 17 months, Paul says there are no circumstances in which he could return to work. The Trust has therefore accepted, despite our efforts to support him, that we are unable to find a path for his return and have reluctantly decided to terminate his employment.
"We remain grateful to him for raising his concerns about the coronial processes back in 2019/20. We have acknowledged that we let down those families involved and have acted to put right those systems and processes.
"It is important to us that our staff can speak up to highlight concerns and we have doubled the investment available for Freedom to Speak Up guardians across the Trust so that staff feel confident that their concerns will be heard and appropriately actioned.”
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