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NHS racial equality boss sacked for discrimination against white colleague

Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé, who was working in NHS Trust for over three decades was fired after she told a colleague he was 'everything she despised in a white manager'

A racial equality boss at Brighton and Sussex Hospital NHS Trust was sacked from her £100,000-a-year job for allegedly telling a colleague he was "everything she despised in a white manager."

The 58-year-old Dr. Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé was fired from her role at the NHS Trust for harassing a white coworker because of his race. She filed an unfair dismissal claim after being fired in 2016 after 32 years at the trust but lost last week, reported the Sunday Mirror.

After a year-long investigation, the trust upheld three allegations against the biochemist, including one that she "bullied and victimized" a female colleague over their sexual orientation.

A report by the employment tribunal said it "upheld an allegation that you discriminated against [Mr W] on 5 May 2017 by making a negative remark about him because he is white and you acted in a way that amounts to harassment related to [Mr W’s] race."

Dr Lyfar-Cissé told the publication: "I am not in a position to comment on the judgment given. I intend to lodge an appeal."

Lyfar-Cissé became Associate Director of Transformation in October 2014, and her main objective in this role was to progress the Race Equality Workforce Engagement Strategy.

In 2017, she was dismissed following a year-long investigation. It was also found that some LGBTQ+ staff felt they were being treated unequally, reported ITV. The report stated that "Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has been placed into special measures after the Care Quality Commission highlighted a series of safety concerns and cultural issues."

The report found that discrimination against black and minority ethnic (BME) people was "rife", while some lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) staff said, "they do not feel as though they are treated equally."

The Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust told the Sunday Mirror that they would not comment on the tribunal, but that a recent CQC inspection found "a dramatic turnaround in culture."