Susan Hamilton claimed she had been the subject of ‘bullying tactics' from her colleague Abdool Nayeck at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust between January 2018 and October 2021.

During this period Hamilton complained Nayeck stopped making her tea when preparing it for other team members, said he did not like her and ‘became noticeably dismissive', including ignoring her morning greetings and facing the other way during meetings.

A spokesperson for St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group said: ‘The tribunal highlights grievances that were raised several years ago, and since then we have worked hard to strengthen support for staff who raise concerns to ensure they feel supported at work.'

The trust said it had introduced a number of measures, including: a training programme for line managers to offer advice and guidance on grievances; support for managers on having difficult conversations; strengthening its employee relations team; improving the recording of issues or complaints; and working closely with our Freedom to Speak Up Team to identify areas in the organisation that might require additional HR support.

The trust added: ‘We're committed to upholding our values of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork, and when concerns were initially raised in this case we facilitated mediation to try to improve working relations and managers also offered employees support to try to improve relationships

‘We recognise cases like this can be difficult for everyone involved, and we are committed to resolving any disputes fairly and respectfully.'