Isle of Man whistleblower's document concoction claim rejected

Dr Rosalind Ranson said her reputation had been damaged after bringing forward her case

Investigators have found no evidence documents in a former Isle of Man medic's whistleblowing case were concocted, a tribunal has heard.

Medical director Rosalind Ranson was found to have been unfairly dismissed from her role for speaking out during the coronavirus pandemic.

A lawyer for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said her claim about the documents had been disproved.

Dr Ranson said she was concerned the investigation was not "independent".

She previously made the allegation to the Employment and Equality Tribunal, which then raised its own concerns about "a number of troubling issues" to do with the disclosure process.

Simon Devonshire KC, representing the DHSC, said private investigators Expol had examined the documents and found there was "no foundation" to claims they had been changed.

Reputational damage

The tribunal heard Dr Ranson had originally sought up to £6.3m in compensation but that figure had since been revised by her legal team based on estimates of what her future earnings would have been had she remained in post.

She told the panel her mental and physical health had suffered as a result of her treatment by the department, adding: "I believe I won't be able to work again."

Dr Ranson said her reputation had been "destroyed" and her future employability had been damaged after bringing her case forward, despite the "huge amount of public support" she had received.

She claimed senior politicians had attempted to create a "cloud of suspicion" around her by making public statements that there was "another side to the story" in respect of her unfair dismissal.

But Mr Devonshire said the majority of press reports, social media comments and statements from the politicians about her case had been supportive.

The remedy hearing is expected to continue until Friday.