Labour Court recommends return to ambulance duties for North Western Health Board worker

The Labour Court varied a Rights Commissioner’s recommendation, saying a worker should return to the Ambulance Service as an EMT with retraining and support. The decision was dated 15 July 2005. The worker appealed after an investigation into emergency calls led to his removal from ambulance duties and reinstatement as a minibus driver. He argued he had not been told who made the allegations or their nature, and had been denied representation and an opportunity to question witnesses. The Health Board said the events amounted to gross misconduct and that it had followed its procedures. The Court found that the head EMT had acted unprofessionally and that the sanctions were too severe. It said the worker should return as an EMT when he returned from sick leave, with the retraining and support recommended by the investigation team.