Dr M Abdulwhab v Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust — 2025

The hearing concerned the claimant's application for interim relief, based on his allegation that the ending of his employment was because he had made protected disclosures about recruitment vetting. The respondent said the claimant had been employed on a fixed-term contract as maternity cover, ending on 31 January 2025, and that there was funding for only one doctor in the post when the substantive postholder returned.

The tribunal applied the interim relief threshold of whether the claimant had a pretty good chance of succeeding at a final hearing. It found that the documents supported the respondent's position that the claimant entered into a fixed-term contract ending on 31 January 2025, and was not persuaded that documents mentioning other dates established an agreed variation or extension of that end date.

The tribunal was not satisfied, for interim relief purposes, that there was likely to be a finding that protected disclosures were the principal reason for the ending of employment. It noted that the claimant might ultimately establish protected disclosures and causation at a full hearing, but that this would require witness evidence, documents, and full consideration of the evidence. The application for interim relief therefore did not succeed.