Change can be great even if the cause isn't.

Photograph of Mr Pitman courtesy of BBC News

In recent weeks, an employment tribunal has heard the case of Mr Pitman, who was dismissed from his job as a consultant at Winchester Hospital after he blew the whistle on patient safety. The employer said he was difficult to work with and a risk to staff and patients, despite being in post for 20 years and a well-respected clinician. Mr Pitman said he had been the victim of a "four-year witch-hunt" for raising uncomfortable safety concerns. This followed a major change in the management and philosophy of care in the maternity unit.

The Tribunal gave its verdict and upheld the dismissal, unsurprisingly as Employment Tribunals rarely find for employees especially whistleblowers. I fully appreciate Mr Pitman's vulnerability during this process and the fact that he has had to effectively give up his career at the age of 57.

His case has been a trigger for me as well. I am familiar with Winchester hospital, having enjoyed a year as a senior registrar there in 1990, just before my appointment as a consultant in Yorkshire. But after 18 years, I also faced a new management structure that insisted on rigid obedience - 'if you don't like it, go elsewhere'. I was seen as something of an irritant for not toeing the party line, and then summarily banned from work for a period of 8 months. I faced a disciplinary tribunal accusing me of failing to hand over a critically ill patient shortly after saving her life.

Predictably, the Trust was unable to substantiate this allegation, which was dropped at the Disciplinary Tribunal, but after 8 months of extreme stress between myself and the Trust, the relationship had broken down so badly that I decided to take my barrister's advice and resign from what had been my dream job.

A Confidentiality Agreement prevents me from outlining the terms on which I left, but suffice it to say that I didn't need to work for the next 12 months. After CBT sessions to get my head together, I returned to locum practice the following summer, first as a registrar and then as a consultant.

Being back at work was amazing; I started to receive validation for my work rather than criticism, I had a number of regular requests to return for locums and colleagues were happy to see me back. I was finally able to focus on the job I loved and enjoy work again, away from the distractions of NHS politics. I was able to develop my Medicolegal Practice without having to worry about getting criticised for taking time off to work.

After retiring from clinical practice 8 years later, I trained as an Executive Coach with the aim of helping senior staff, especially Doctors in the NHS, who are experiencing those same issues that I did. They may be stressed, burnt out, demoralised by staff absence, bullied or discriminated against and may be facing disciplinary action. 1:1 coaching is a fantastic way to clarify goals and generate ideas and solutions for the future. I am passionate about helping people who are no longer motivated by the work they have previously loved, or for no fault or planning of their own find that they have to change career direction.

The future isn't always clear for anyone going through a difficult time in the NHS, or indeed any profession, and it can seem frightening. My message is that change, however it comes, can be positive. And a new direction can often make life and work so much more rewarding. I am sure Mr Pitman will discover a new future. Change is not to be feared, but embraced.

If you want to explore change in your own career, or are being forced to move in a new direction, Coaching can help. The first step is to book a free, no obligation 30 minute conversation here.