AFTER losing an employment tribunal against his former hospital bosses, a doctor has said he’s “not going to let this outcome be the end”.

Winchester maternity consultant and obstetrician of 20 years, Martyn Pitman, was sacked by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) earlier this year.

Mr Pitman’s complaints that he suffered a detriment due to whistleblowing concerns over patient and staff safety were unanimously dismissed, in a judgement released on Friday, October 27, following a two-week hearing at Southampton Magistrates Court.

Despite describing the tribunal as a “devastating blow”, Mr Pitman has said he is not giving up and owes it to the current and future patients of the trust to keep fighting.

READ MORE: Final judgement of tribunal into sacked Winchester doctor released

Mr Pitman, 57, from South Wonston, said: “Having devoted four and a half years of my life to get my case to the employment tribunal stage, the verdict, as it stands, will categorically not be the end.

“I don’t give up that easily. I’m pretty resilient and determined. I’m not going to let this outcome be the end, I’m stronger and better than that.

“With my stellar legal team’s support I need to assess whether mounting an appeal against the verdict is the appropriate next step. This is very far away from the end.

“The evidence presented by the trust witnesses told its own story. I will be very interested to see the responses from people who were there for the hearing, when the verdict is in the public domain.

“We felt it had gone as well as it could have. I shared what I wanted to share. I told the truth about what had actually happened throughout the trust’s handling of my case. I don’t think anyone has won or lost. It is quite clear however, who has suffered most.

“It was very reassuring and gratifying that the tribunal confirmed that I had whistle-blown significant concerns, that were in the public interest. I however was unable to convince the panel that I had suffered detriments as a consequence of this.”

SEE ALSO: Chief medical officer says breakdown in doctor's relations caused ‘unacceptable risk’

The tribunal panel, led by Employment Judge Jonathan Gray, concluded that the main reason for what happened to Mr Pitman was because of his communication style and not because he was whistleblowing.

A spokesperson for HHFT said: “Although grateful that the decision has been made in our favour, we would not have wanted to find ourselves at a tribunal. The value we place on all our staff cannot be overstated; they are on the front line of providing outstanding care and clinical excellence to patients.”

“Mr Pitman raised important and valid concerns, particularly in relation to impacts around staffing levels on our maternity unit. He was right to do this - and he was not alone in doing so. 

“Our issue was never about the concerns raised by Mr Pitman, but about concerns raised by others of disruptive behaviour and then a breakdown in working relationships. 

"These factors are damaging in any workplace, but in a healthcare setting, which is by its nature an intense and pressurised environment, their destabilising effect is even more serious.”