Marketing executive sues NHS blood service over 'racist' management

2022-10-16

Marketing executive, 40, sues NHS blood service over ‘racist’ management claiming she was subjected to ‘shouty’ and ‘aggressive’ stereotypes of black woman

Melissa Thermidor, 40, said she was suing the NHS Blood and Transplant service
The marketing exec claims she was subjected to a number of racist stereotypes
In 2020 a report said that there was ‘systematic racism’ at one NHSBT site

Accusations of racism and in-fighting have rocked the NHS department responsible for blood donations in England.

The ructions exploded in August when Melissa Thermidor, a 40-year-old marketing executive at NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), revealed she was suing the service for constructive dismissal.

She claims she was subjected to racist stereotypes such as being a ‘shouty’ and ‘aggressive’ black woman, that she was sidelined and that colleagues coined the disparaging term ‘Tesco donors’ to refer to black people who donated blood.

But the claims of racist behaviour go back further.

Melissa Thermidor, 40, (pictured) is suing NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) for constructive dismissal

In 2020, an independent report was leaked which claimed there was ‘evidence of systemic racism’ at an NHSBT site.

Ms Thermidor said soon afterwards that she recorded Betsy Bassis, who was chief executive at the time, having a private conversation with then chairwoman Millie Banerjee, during which the latter seemingly played down the matter.

Ms Banerjee said the situation was ‘high risk’ for NHSBT but that she could not ‘fix the ravages or consequences of 300 years of slavery and 200 years of empire’.

She also talked of there being a ‘nasty dichotomy’ between different ethnic groups, with Asians considering themselves ‘well above the blacks’.

In 2020, an independent report was leaked which claimed there was ‘evidence of systemic racism’ at an NHSBT site

Ms Banerjee stepped down in August last year. She denies acting or talking in a racist manner.

Ms Bassis resigned this August, ahead of the forthcoming release of a report by the health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), into NHSBT’s leadership. She too denies any racist behaviour.

Ms Thermidor, who is taking her case to an employment tribunal, claims black staff were referred to as ‘you people’ in meetings, and that one worker said: ‘White donors are more likely to shop at Waitrose and black donors at Tesco.’

An external report into grievances raised by Ms Thermidor found she was not treated unfavourably because of her race but that she and others ‘did suffer harassment in NHSBT because of their race’.

Ms Thermidor resigned in February last year. Both Ms Bassis and Ms Banerjee have vowed to contest her claims at the tribunal.

NHSBT’s new chairman, Peter Wyman, said in August that the service has ‘moved on a lot’. He added: ‘There can be no place for discrimination or harassment.’

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