I was suspended from my NHS job after a patient told me I was pregnant with his child… The last few years have been torture: The nurse who became a social media phenomenon breaks her silence

An NHS nurse who was suspended after a patient claimed she was pregnant with his child has admitted the last few years have been ‘torture’ and she ‘doesn’t deserve even a second’.

Jessica Thorpe said “years of happiness were stolen from her” as she spoke for the first time after winning an unfair dismissal claim following a more than two-year suspension.

Ms Thorpe, who is also a social media influencer, was investigated by a hospital trust in April 2020, three days after a patient claimed she was having an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with him and that she was ‘pregnant with his child’.

The patient, referred to at the time only as Patient X for legal reasons, was housed in a secure facility for men with ties to the criminal justice system. He died in December of that year.

Ms Thorpe, who has worked as a healthcare worker and then a nursing assistant at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust since 2016, was subsequently forced to endure ‘a series of extensions’ to her suspension.

However, he finally quit in October 2022, a month after he was told he could return to work, saying he had not acknowledged a complaint raised by the trust or addressed any ‘gossip’ from colleagues about the ‘alleged affair’.

Ms Thorpe, who successfully sued for unfair and constructive dismissal, breach of contract and unlawful deduction of wages, declared last night: ‘These last four and a half years have been torture for me and I did not deserve a second of it.’

Nurse Jessica Thorpe, who became a social media influencer, was investigated by a hospital trust in April 2020; three days after a patient claimed she had an “inappropriate relationship” with him.

Jessica Thorpe said: ‘These last four and a half years have been torture and I didn’t deserve a second of it.’

Ms Thorpe, who has worked as a healthcare professional and then a nursing assistant at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust since 2016, was subsequently forced to endure ‘a series of extensions’ to her suspension

‘I’m glad the end of the road is near. I will never take a break from social media because it has stolen my time and happiness for years, and I will not allow it to be stolen anymore.

‘Thank you to everyone who has been so kind to me.’

Ms Thorpe said she would not speak further because ‘the proceedings have not been fully concluded’. He said he was waiting for the resolution hearing.

The trust had tried to claim that the ‘real reason’ she quit was so she could continue to pursue her career online by setting up Instagram and YouTube accounts Slice of Jess, which earn her almost £20,000 a year.

Nurse ‘denied’ this claim, calling it ‘delusional’ and said the Slice of Jess account had only started as a ‘hobby’ during the suspension.

Although an employment judge described the timing of her resignation as ‘odd’, he ruled in Ms Thorpe’s favour, saying there had been a ‘tremendous period’ during which she had been suspended from work.

Judge Simon Loy told a court hearing in Newcastle: ‘The court finds that there is no reasonable and appropriate reason why (Ms Thorpe) should continue to be suspended and/or placed in double jeopardy after 21 July 2021.’

Ms Thorpe’s disciplinary hearing did not take place until July 2021; More than a year has passed since the accusations.

A panel ruled there was no ‘conclusive evidence’ to support the claim, but the University of Sunderland student never received a letter of conclusion and was told by the trust that no conclusion had yet been reached.

This was because the Foundation’s COO had ‘subsequently reviewed’ the witness statements and had ‘concerns’.

The hearing heard Ms Thorpe was told she would not return to work until the police investigation into Patient X’s death and the Trust’s own serious incident process procedure were completed.

Judge Loy said this left Ms Thorpe in a ‘wholly unsatisfactory situation’.

In October 2022, Ms Thorpe was sent an email outlining her eventual return to work.

However, he resigned the following month on 11 November.

During the suspension, the nurse began sharing pictures of food on Instagram, which helped her reach nearly 50,000 followers and become a food influencer.

Judge Loy said: ‘This is called being a social media influencer.’

‘Around the same time (Ms Thorpe) started making YouTube videos. The court heard the plaintiff’s channel had 25,000 subscribers at the time the witness’ statement was given.

‘He created approximately 580 videos in three years; This means about three videos per week.

‘This is likely capable of monetizing Google, which places ads based on its own algorithm that evaluates the volume of a person’s followers/subscribers and the commercial value of their profile.’

Tax returns submitted to the court showed the nurse’s income from Google rose from £4,211.00 in 2021 to £19,222.00 in 2023.

Ms Thorpe was told that the claim regarding Patient X was not approved due to a lack of ‘conclusive evidence’.

It was said there was a ‘blurring of boundaries’ as the patient ‘responded well’ to Ms Thorpe.

However, he finally quit in October 2022, a month after he was told he could return to work, saying he had not acknowledged a complaint raised by the trust or addressed any ‘gossip’ from colleagues about the ‘alleged affair’.

A further allegation of unauthorized access to the NHS computer system was also admitted and Ms Thorpe said that although she received a verbal warning result, she was told she would have to wait for written confirmation.

Specifically, the court said that it would not attempt to address or obtain factual findings regarding whether the allegations regarding Patient X were true.

Ms Thorpe sued for unfair, constructive dismissal, breach of contract and unlawful deduction of wages, all of which were upheld.

The court accepted that Ms Thorpe’s desire to pursue a career as a social media influencer and work elsewhere outside of (the Trust) were ‘effective’ reasons for her decision to resign.

Judge Loy said they therefore had ‘considerable sympathy’ with the Foundation’s position.

“It is the oddity of this case that, after calling on the defendant for over two years to fulfill her part of the contract, she (Ms Thorpe) resigned in a situation where in other contexts the breach might have been deemed to have been remedied,” the judge said. in question.

‘However, the court must apply applicable legal principles.

‘There is no restriction on the innocent party committing a breach of denial from attempting to make money from other activities that are not expressly or impliedly prohibited by the contract of employment.

‘If (Ms Thorpe’s) suspension has given her the opportunity to explore the income-generating potential of her social media activities, so be it.’

Judge Loy said the trust had not ‘put forward a case’ that constructive dismissal was ‘fair’ and therefore its claims were upheld.

The compensation will be decided at the next hearing.