Claimant v The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police
Outcome
Individual claims
The Tribunal found at the liability hearing that the respondent had failed to make three reasonable adjustments: (i) allocating the claimant a caseload of between 50 and 68 cases when she had a disability of anxiety; (ii) allocating a caseload of which approximately 90% were complex psychological cases; and (iii) not checking in with the claimant about her mental wellbeing from 1 November 2022. The adjustments should have been put in place from November 2022 but were not implemented until after April 2023.
Facts
The claimant was an HR case worker with 17 years service who had a disability of anxiety. From November 2022 the respondent failed to make three reasonable adjustments relating to her caseload (50-68 complex psychological cases) and failure to check on her mental wellbeing. The claimant went off sick after an incident on 13 April 2023. She claimed £180,785 in total including significant past and future financial loss, reduced working hours, and loss of promotion opportunities. The respondent argued most losses were caused by the April 2023 incident, not the failure to adjust.
Decision
The Tribunal awarded £15,000 injury to feelings in the middle Vento band plus interest of £3,470.24, totalling £18,470.24. The Tribunal rejected all claims for financial loss, finding the claimant had not established on medical or other evidence that the failure to make reasonable adjustments (as opposed to the traumatic incident in April 2023) caused her sickness absence, reduced hours, or lack of promotion. The claim for promotion was found to be speculative.
Practical note
A claimant succeeding on failure to make reasonable adjustments must prove causation between the specific adjustments and the losses claimed; where medical evidence attributes absence to a separate traumatic incident rather than the failure to adjust, financial loss claims will fail even where injury to feelings is established.
Award breakdown
Vento band: middle
Legal authorities cited
Statutes
Case details
- Case number
- 2411678/2023
- Decision date
- 24 September 2025
- Hearing type
- remedy
- Hearing days
- 1
- Classification
- contested
Respondent
- Sector
- public sector
- Represented
- Yes
- Rep type
- barrister
Employment details
- Role
- HR case worker
- Service
- 17 years
Claimant representation
- Represented
- No