An 'act of kindness' has left an NHS worker out of a job and struggling to pay spiralling bills. Lynne Kings says she was axed by Birmingham Women's Hospital for 'unauthorised accessing' of the system to find a patient.
The former MDT coordinator for gynaecology cancer took her son's ex-girlfriend a new baby present after discovering which ward she was on. The 53-year-old says she has now been left in arrears and "can't afford to pay" her bills after she was fired over the policy breach on February 9, reports Birmingham Live.
Mrs Kings says she has been left 'feeling suicidal' and is currently trying to appeal the decision in a desperate bid to get her job back. A hospital spokesman said they couldn't disclose details of the case but would always "investigate any possible breaches and act in line with our Trust procedures to protect patients in our care."
"I've put my hands up to what I did, I've apologised. My heart went before my head. It was really an act of kindness," said Mrs Kings, who worked for the NHS for 15 years. "I was told she was pregnant with a new partner which I was so happy (for her). She was like a daughter to me. All I did, I looked up what ward she was on, I went and bought her a present from the nursery shop and I just went in.
"I went onto the ward, asked the ward clerk 'is so and so here, any chance I can go in and give her this?'. The ward clerk said yes. I knocked on the door and said can I come in? She said yes, I told her: 'I'm really happy for you'. I didn't touch the baby, just told her how beautiful the baby was."
A week after the incident, she was called in and asked about the visit. A complaint had been lodged and the hospital told her it needed to be looked into.
"I was never suspended, they expected me to work all the way through until the evening and then they dismissed me," she said. "I have gone to an appeal but they keep messing me about with dates. I just feel like I've been fobbed off. I just think I was really unfairly dismissed and I feel like I've been kicked in the teeth."
Mrs Kings, from Rowley Regis, took a hefty pay cut when she was forced to take a job as a GP surgery receptionist instead. She said: "I've gone into arrears, I can't afford to pay. They've left me high and dry. I feel really let down."
The mum has also had to cancel a "holiday of a lifetime" with her husband after being unable to afford the payments. "I've worked through the pandemic, it was horrendous," she said. "I've worked for the NHS for 15 years and after that, I get kicked in the face basically. I've felt suicidal, I take sleeping tablets, I'm on anti-depressants. It's been a nightmare, they've ruined my life."
A Trust spokesperson said: “The confidentiality of our patients and their health records is of paramount importance. We will always investigate any possible breaches of this policy and act in line with our Trust procedures to protect patients in our care. In order to maintain patient confidentiality, we are unable to comment on the specifics of this case.”
