A student nurse who was accused of having an ‘attitude problem’ and thrown off her course after exposing the treatment of elderly patients at a hospital is planning to take legal action over the ‘culture of bullying’.

The Daily Mail reports that 40-year-old Barbara Allatt reported colleagues at Stafford Hospital and Cannock Chase Hospital – both part of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust – for allegedly leaving elderly patients in soiled sheets, shouting at dementia patients and ‘secretly’ slipping sedatives into a cup of tea.

The trust has been rocked by a number of incidents involving patient care –  and a damning independent inquiry found the safety of sick and dying patients was 'routinely neglected', leading to between 400 and 1,200 ‘unnecessary deaths’ at the trust. However, following the inquiry at the trust, no disciplinary action was taken.

Miss Allatt, from Cannock in Staffordshire, said scenes on the wards were ‘heartbreaking’, with staff sitting chatting while patients cried for help.

'Some needed urgent pain relief or a change of sheets – and others just needed a bit of reassurance – but they were ignored, shouted at or mocked with cruel names,’ said Ms Allatt.

'Sick and elderly people were manhandled and abused, but when I complained my colleagues told me to mind my own business. They were so pally with each other that they shut me out and I felt helpless,’ she said.

Ms Allatt recorded what she saw during a four-month period between May 2009 and January this year, but her tutors at university, hospital mentors and senior nurses allegedly attacked her for ‘whistleblowing’.  In January, Ms Allatt was suspended for four weeks because of her 'behaviour, attitude and fitness to practise'.

The Royal College of Nursing supported her case but she lost two appeals against her suspension and her place was permanently withdrawn by a fitness to practise panel.

Ms Allatt says she has suffered from stress and depression over her experiences and plans to sue Stafford University for breaching the Public Interest Disclosure Act – designed to protect whistleblowers. Ms Allatt is also planning to sue the trust for alleged bullying.

Staffordshire University said:

'Our nursing students get a lot of input about how to report any issues, and are supported to do so.’

Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust said an investigation into her complaints found them to be 'without foundation'.

The Royal College of Nursing said it did not comment on individual cases, but a statement prepared for an appeal hearing called Ms Allatt ‘a knowledgeable, intelligent, enthusiastic student who performs well and questions appropriately’.

The statement read:

'She was unfairly tagged as a troublemaker when she raised concerns on her first placement. This bad name followed her to her next placement.

'I would suggest collusion between several nurses, and that the decision has been made at some level that it is easier to remove Barbara from her training than pursue her allegations.’

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