THE "old school tie" network made life hell for Bury nurse Andrea Sefton after she got on the wrong side of a hospital doctor.

Claims that the consultant anaesthetist had assaulted her sparked off a campaign which lasted for two-and-a-half years and forced Miss Sefton to quit her job as theatre sister at Fairfield General Hospital.

Now 46-year-old Miss Sefton has won a landmark out-of-court settlement. Her legal challenge against Bury Health Care NHS Trust - claiming physical and verbal abuse by Dr Pravin Kotak - was backed by the Royal College of Nursing and is thought to be the first successful claim by a nurse.

Miss Sefton has been awarded £7,500 but the Trust continue to deny any liability on their part or that of Dr Kotak, who was cleared after an internal investigation. They say they only made the payment to avoid a lengthy and expensive court battle.

Trouble began for Miss Sefton on November 30, 1993, when the Dr Kotak allegedly hit her on the head while she was looking for a piece of equipment he had asked for. He then shouted at her, it is claimed. Subsequently Dr Kotak refused to work with her and had her removed from the theatre on two occasions.

"After refusing a disciplinary hearing against Dr Kotak, there then followed a build-up of pressure by the Trust and its old school tie network. I was moved from the theatre and put to work in the sterile supply department, repacking instrument trays. It was very disconcerting," claimed Miss Sefton "My skills as a theatre sister were totally undermined and the pressure put on me by the Trust continued for two-and-a-half years. I tolerated it as best I could and was determined not to leave until I had another job to go to."

Miss Sefton joined the nursing profession in 1968 and worked all over the world before taking a post at Fairfield Hospital in 1990. She now works as a sister in charge of anaesthetics in Preston,.

In fighting Miss Sefton's case, the RCN argued that Bury Health Care NHS Trust had failed to investigate the complaint, failed to discipline the consultant and had failed to protect Miss Sefton, or other nurses, from harassment.

Mr Phillip Bacon, chief executive of Bury Health Care NHS Trust, however, stressed the payment did not mean the Trust, or Dr Kotak, admitted any wrongdoing. Indeed, they still strongly refute Miss Sefton's allegations.

"The settlement was made without any admission of liability and the sum is significantly less than the amount claimed," he said.

"The payment was an economic step in what would have otherwise been a protracted and disputed court case."

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