Doctor says six-year fight over workplace harassment destroyed her trust in NHS

A doctor who was sexually harassed by a colleague at Royal Stoke University Hospital has said the six-year struggle to secure accountability left her traumatised and unable to trust the NHS to protect its staff.

Dr Jawad Ahmad has now been removed from the medical register after a tribunal concluded that his conduct towards the woman amounted to sexual harassment. The two doctors worked for University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust when the incident occurred in 2020.

The tribunal heard that Ahmad lured the then-junior doctor into an office during a late shift, prevented her from leaving, pushed her into a chair and subjected her to unwanted massaging and kissing.

The woman, whose identity has been protected, said she lost confidence in her employer and in the wider NHS to listen to her, believe her account and keep her safe. She said she continues to experience post-traumatic stress disorder and has left medicine after nine years of training and work.

An employment tribunal ruled in 2023 that University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust had unlawfully discriminated against her because of her sex. The handling of her complaint attracted further criticism after she was questioned about her sexual history during the internal process.

Although she welcomed Ahmad’s removal from the medical register, the doctor said it should not have taken six years of persistent campaigning to reach that point. She questioned what would happen when another woman reported sexual harassment or assault within an NHS workplace and whether lessons had genuinely been learned.

The trust said it had reviewed its processes following the case and remained fully committed to providing a safe working environment for every member of staff. It said it would continue strengthening its approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct.

An NHS spokesperson described all sexual violence, harassment and abuse as unacceptable and said hospitals were expected to act robustly to protect employees.

For the doctor involved, however, the eventual regulatory decision has not repaired the damage caused by the original harassment or the prolonged battle that followed. Her experience raises continuing questions about how quickly and compassionately NHS organisations respond when staff report misconduct by a colleague.

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