HR failure | NHS manager unfairly dismissed after accidentally showing colleague pornography

An NHS trust must pay nearly £13,000 to a senior communications manager who was unfairly dismissed after accidentally showing pornography on his phone to a junior female colleague.

Employment Judge Dawson found that University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust had reasonable grounds for believing Mr Fisher committed misconduct, and that he had an "80% chance" of being dismissed even if proper disciplinary processes had been observed.

However, failings in the investigation and appeal resulted in the the dismissal being ruled as unfair.

How the phone incident unfolded

Mr Fisher had worked for the Trust and its predecessor since June 2011 and had no previous disciplinary warnings or findings. He was sacked from his role as Senior Communications Manager in June 2024.