Mr N Smith v Royal Mail Group Limited — 2021

The judgment addressed a preliminary issue about whether the claimant met the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability. The tribunal found that the claimant had suffered from anxiety for several years, including effects on socialising, relaxing, conversation, and family visits, and accepted his account of a severe episode beginning on 14 December 2016.

The tribunal found that the claimant's anxiety amounted to a mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, including socialising, relaxing, and driving. It accepted that medication reduced but did not remove the effects, and that driving remained significantly affected until the end of employment because of anxiety and medication side effects.

The tribunal concluded that by no later than 6 March 2017 it was likely that the severe effects would recur, and/or would recur but for medication. It therefore held that the claimant had been a disabled person within the meaning of section 6 Equality Act 2010 since no later than that date.