A 56-year-old NHS worker who was told she was too old to take on a new job may receive a record £500,000 in damages.
Linda Sturdy claimed her application for a senior role at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in 2007 was rejected and given to a younger, less experienced colleague after she told them she was four years from retirement.
Before revealing her age she had been told she was the preferred candidate for the job.
An employment tribunal ruled that the trust had acted unlawfully and was guilty of age discrimination. Sturdy now plans to sue the hospital.
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Sturdy, now 58, said: “I’ve been bullied, I’ve been pressured, I’ve been treated terribly. I can’t believe that all these years I’ve worked for them I’ve been dedicated, loyal, conscientious and not put a foot wrong.”
A Leeds spokesman declined to comment on the case.
