Beacon Hospital wins unfair dismissal case brought by Karen Roche

The Workplace Relations Commission found that Karen Roche’s unfair dismissal complaint against Beacon Hospital was not well founded. In a decision dated 5 April 2024, it accepted that the hospital reasonably concluded she could not perform her role and had made repeated efforts to engage with her before dismissing her on capability grounds. Roche said workplace stress had affected her health, that she intended to return, and that her dismissal was unfair. The hospital said it relied on occupational health reports and could not facilitate a return without her engagement. The Commission also ruled that the unfair dismissal decision barred her from seeking redress for the dismissal under the Employment Equality Acts; it made no separate merits finding on that complaint.