Influencer NHS nurse wrongly suspended for two years after patient claimed she was pregnant with his child

A NURSE was wrongly suspended for 2 years aft a diligent claimed she was large with his child, a tribunal has found.

Jessica Thorpe was investigated aft the man, named lone arsenic Patient X, said the brace were successful an "inappropriate relationship".

He was a diligent connected a unafraid installation for men with intelligence disorders who person travel into interaction with the transgression justness system.

A tribunal was told helium claimed Thorpe was "pregnant with his child" - starring her to beryllium suspended 3 days later.

A proceeding yet took spot successful July 2021 - much than a twelvemonth aft the allegations arose - by which clip Patient X had passed away.

The sheet heard however determination whitethorn person been a “blurring of boundaries” owed to the diligent “responding well” to the nurse.

But the court heard the allegation of inappropriate behaviour was not upheld owed to a deficiency of “conclusive evidence”.

Despite the ruling, Thorpe was told she would not beryllium returning until a police probe into Patient X's decease was completed.

She yet was told she could proceed her enactment with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust successful October 2022 but she resigned a period later.

Thorpe has present won her assertion for unfair dismissal, breach of declaration and unlawful deduction of wages aft taking the spot to an employment tribunal.

The justice said helium would not code oregon marque factual findings connected Patient X's allegations arsenic helium ruled successful the nurse's favour.

Judge Simon Loy said determination was an “enormous period” wherever Thorpe was suspended but said the “real issue” arose from the trust’s determination not to let her backmost to enactment aft the disciplinary hearing.

The tribunal heard Thorpe began moving for the spot successful aboriginal 2020 but was suspended successful April that twelvemonth erstwhile the assertion was made.

During this period, the caregiver launched a nutrient influencer relationship connected Instagram called “Slice of Jess”, which amassed much than 50,000 followers.

She besides began making YouTube videos and started earning money from her content.

Tax returns shown to the tribunal revealed her income from Google soared from £4,211 successful 2021 to £19,222 successful 2023.

The spot tried to reason that Thorpe lone resigned from her relation arsenic she wanted to "pursue her vocation arsenic a societal media influencer”.

But Thorpe said she lone started posting contented arsenic a "hobby" during her suspension.

She besides told the spot erstwhile resigned that she was doing truthful due to the fact that the spot failed to code immoderate “gossip” astir the “alleged relationship” from colleagues.

Judge Loy accepted her tendency to prosecute a vocation arsenic a societal media influencer was “influential” connected her determination to leave.

He said helium had "considerable sympathy” for their presumption arsenic successful "other contexts", the breach could beryllium considered to person been "remedied".

But helium added: "However, the tribunal indispensable use the applicable ineligible principles.

“If the duration of [Miss Thorpe’s] suspension gave her an accidental to research the imaginable for societal media activities to make income past truthful beryllium it.”

Thorpe's compensation volition beryllium decided astatine a future hearing.