My job offer within the nhs has been rescinded after my previous manager disclosed my BiPolar

[ItsActuallyNotOkToNotBeOk]

2024 I was off work because I needed my medication increased. If you have bipolar you understand. I was off for 8 weeks whilst I got over the extra sleepiness. I returned to work and my managers manager did the return to work, wherein this meeting she wrote down everything I said in a personal notebook. She specially asked my what my mental health medication was and wrote it down. I asked why and she said she wanted to know if ‘it was safe for me to be at work’ then she laughed and said ‘ha I mean am I even safe right now the door is closed,
you’re not going to go psycho on me are you?’

I immediately started a grievance that obviously they found unfounded because it was my fault led against
hers. This year has been hell.

Recently I applied for a new job in a different trust and it was all going brilliantly until after the reference from my previous manager. Job offer removed . Subject access requested immediately. 1 month later (ish) I got a massive tranche of emails and I got my reference which was actually fine.

The issue is my current manager then emailed the new manager and said and I quote ‘she does have BiPolar and she quite worryingly is on an antipsychotic for it as well as antidepressants. My manager had a conversation with her in a closed room and was very concerned bc she might lose it. You never know what people with this kind of disorder are capable of do you? My advice would be to rescind the offer because she was also off for a fair bit of time for ‘medication titration” whatever that is’, I also didn’t believe she even had it at the beginning so I contacted her GP directly to challenge whether the sick note we received was even legitimate but it was’. 4 days after this email was sent (Easter ) I was informed my job had been rescinded

At this poInt I’m beyond angry. I knew she had spoken to my GP because they rang me (the Gp) to say that 24 hours after receiving a letter from her regarding the authenticity of the fit note she rang them pretending to be me and got the security question wrong.

This isn’t normal is it ? Can I add this to my grievance or do I just resign and take it all to tribunal ?

I was not clinical facing from 2023 up until now (well who knows)!! However my next post was essentially my pre surgery role high up in Pathology if that changes anything

Oh and I hadn’t actually given permission for occupational health to give the report to my new manager because I hadn’t had it yet. So the first mention of my disability is from my current manager emailing the woman she had sent my reference too as you can see on the email from recruitment both managers emails are there so she’s decided to just email my new manager

Are you part of a union? I think at this point you need union and or legal advice.

Yes I am in a union I wasn’t sure if I could ask them to help on a different matter after they’d assisted me with the grievance earlier.?

Contact ACAS. Bipolar disorder is a disability and if you were treated unfairly because of it then you could have a case for disability discrimination because the hiring manager shouldn’t have listened to/believed your old manager who also sounds spectacularly dim and nasty but then they do walk amongst us. On a personal note, I have bipolar disorder and don’t disclose it unless I have to… I had to just after Christmas for the same reason as you, and was very surprised that my manager was understanding after an awful discriminatory experience I had with the NHS last year. What has happened to you shouldn’t be the standard but we come to expect it because it’s so frequent with bipolar.

She rang your GP surgery pretending to be you? That’s surely a sackable offence. Bang out of order.

This is a SHOCKING series of events. I hope you take this all the way (with the union's support and guidance) and she gets sacked.

Yes she is absolutely bat shit. Less than 24 hours after emailing them to clarify that I hadn’t just made it all up
and sent fraudulent fit notes, she sent a very aggressive chasing up email and later that day rang them pretending to be me, but because I was always calling the GP to discuss chemo symptoms they know my voice and she failed the question that my GP insists on asking (favourite kids tv show) it’s an odd question but she obviously didn’t know so they disconnected the call and called me to inform me.

I just want to leave. It’s so toxic

Honestly Bipolar is a really misunderstood issue. People see antipsychotics and think knife wielding maniacs whereas (for me) they calm down the mania where the only thing I’m a danger to is our bank account!!! I hope you’ve found a nice stable moment x

This is shocking, I am so sorry you are going through something like this.

I’m so sorry you’ve been put through this, I’m quite shocked tbh - I thought this kind of behaviour didn’t exist in professional settings. It’s so casual.

Contact EASS Equality Advice Support Service
Comtact your union and tell them everything - you need a good lawyer
You have a protected characteristic under the Equality Act
Wht your current manager has done is really really serious - can you get evidence from the GP surgery that she tried to impersonate you

You really need professional advice for this

Union. It doesn't matter if you've already used them for the grievance.

To seek to access someone’s data through impersonation would I think be a criminal offence. I am surprised that the agap surgery did not take it further and inform the police. however, your union will have panel lawyers to advise eg should you report to the police.

Also you need a lawyer to advice if there has been a breach of your contract by your employer who has not acted in good faith by their actions.

This is all technical and you really need proper advice not Mumsnet unless an employment lawyer happens to help. I am really sorry this has happened to you and you must feel very alone and shaken. Hopefully, it yip contact your union you will get the help and support you need.

Yes I have asked for a copy of the emails she sent and I’ve also asked for a transcript or an Audio recording of the phone call and the practice manager is going to call me next week. It’s just so messy.

however im so grateful for the ideas and support you’ve given me!

This adds to your grievance

No it does not matter. They need 5o know everything to get the right advice.

Ring that helpline as well ( first ) They have caseworkers who can help and advice. This is their area. I am sure they will be pretty shocked about what you have been through.

Your manager sounds like an ignoramus

Accessing patients records illegally : Not only is this wholly unprofessional and a clear breach of patient confidentiality, it is also illegal. Under the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR), specifically Article 5(1)(a), such unlawful access or disclosure of personal information is considered to be data theft and is a criminal act.

Even an attempt to access this data I think is a crime but get proper legal advice please. I’m not an employment lawyer or criminal lawyer.

There are several issues
Current Employer
1 Failing to recognised and treat you appropriately with a protected characteristic under the Equality Act
2 Seeking to obtain information confidential medical information by fraudulent misrepresentation - possible crime as well as civil matter
3 Also providing a damming reference re your health ( which might be immaterial if the only impact was time off to titrate medicine) I’m not sure that is llowedcunless for example you were applying to be an airline pilot or aritraffic control or working with vulnerable people as an example. If you have say, an admin role it’s not pertinent.

Future employer

If they rescinded the job offer it might be discrimination under the Equality Act - unless it was a sensitive job eg doctor, working with vulnerable people, police etc where it might have relevance but I would imagine they would need to justify that .

Fro both the above I and ni one on Mumsnet can advice which is why you have a union and panel lawyers.

and said and I quote ‘she does have BiPolar and she quite worryingly is on an antipsychotic for it as well as antidepressants

Good lord, I hope she isn’t in any sort of clinical role as she is dangerously thick. The worrying part would be if you were NOT on these medications. And she doesn’t understand what titration is? Or why anyone would need to be off if having antipsychotic titrated?

Absolutely get legal advice. Everything she has done is wrong and she shouldn’t be in that position (in fact, she seems so dense/deranged I wouldn’t even leave her in charge of a goldfish).

I'd ask the practice manager to consider reporting the incident to the police.

NHS is known for toxicity and I professionalism but this is extreme.
Take it as far as you can, for your own benefit but also as hopefully an example to be set in an effort to prevent any future similar behaviour.

Disgusting. But how do they know who it was?

Ignore me just realised this isn’t the nhs, ignore me I’m on the night shift!

Accessing patient records with no need is a sackable offence in the nhs. If she is a registered professional at all it’s also potentially a striking off the register offence. Them withdrawing the job offer also sounds like direct disability discrimination. As well as the union are there any national bipolar type charities who might help with advice? Sometimes such a charity will push for action more than a union does.

This is terrible behaviour from the pair of them and to phone your Doctor and pretend to be you? That is unbelievable. I hope you are able to get some advice and a resolution.

This. Get her into trouble for it, OP! After all, she had no issue taking your livelihood away from you, did she?

What happened to you is wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to start. I am sure that manager crossed a number of legal lines. You absolutely need the support of your union and I would definitely see a lawyer. Point out that you are engaged with treatment and getting regular medical care, which I'm sure must be relevant.

I hope that you get her sacked for her dreadful, discriminatory, illegal conduct and that your job offer gets reinstated. Or that you get an equivalent.

It's the NHS - how could they be so ignorant! I mean, it's not like they have thousands of psychiatrists they could call on, is it!!!

She doesn't sound very bright. Not only did she try to impersonate you, she also put all that she said about you in writing! Most people would do it over the phone...although I hope most people wouldn't do that at all.

Don't worry, OP. The law is on your side, and you're on the moral side of the argument. As if life isn't hard enough with a disability, then it gets used against you! Oooh, I know - get a good no-win no-fee employment lawyer and get yourself a nice fat juicy settlement!!! You should also tell the papers.

And in the meantime, you relax and practice some self-care this weekend. Everything will be all right! Sending hugs and flowers. 💐

This is the nhs. I was moved non clinical during cancer treatment and I’m now applying for clinical positions to resume my original Job.

It’s genuinely making me reconsider working for any nhs trust but then what do I do with my specialism 🤦‍♀️ it’s so hard