A total waste of time and money

It finds itself having to pay a record amount of compensation to an aggrieved employee in a case that has cost taxpayers more than 500,000. This totally unnecessary bill is the financial consequence of the landmark age discrimination case that Linda Sturdy brought against Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Overlooked for a key position running breast screening services for nearly 125,000 women in favour of a colleague who was 13 years her junior, Mrs Sturdy took the Trust to an Employment Tribunal – and won.

Irrespective of the merits of the two candidates, this case should never have resulted in protracted legal proceedings that have taken four years to come to a conclusion.

Much of the emotional aggravation and torment that Mrs Study, 60, has suffered – it was ruled that her employees had acted in a "highhanded, malicious insulting and oppressive" manner – could have been avoided if the Trust had followed the most rudimentary elements of employment law. As the country's largest employer, the NHS has countless managers who are more than qualified to handle such personnel cases more sensitively and speedily.

This ineptness has simply led to a vast amount of time and money being squandered, as well as vindicating Mrs Sturdy.

However, this case has repercussions for the rest of society which will require further consideration.

Changing demographics mean that a record number of women are now pursuing careers, which stems from a desire to succeed in their own right, a need to supplement their family's finances or a combination of both. Furthermore, the diminution of pensions, coupled with improved standards of living, mean that early retirement is no longer a practical proposition for those individuals who believe that they have much to offer as they approach pensionable age.

This is an inevitable consequence of an ageing society – and it is

going to have to be reflected by employers, like the NHS, when they recruit staff in the future.