NHS finance chief axed for 'telling the truth'

Ian Perkin, former FD of London's St George's Hospital, was fired from his job in July last year after 16 years in the post. On Friday the tribunal decided the case should go to a full hearing prompting Perkin to claim he had already won a 'moral victory'.

At a finance meeting last July, Perkin had told the hospital trust's board and its external auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers that planned budget cuts of £4.5m would cause the hospital to 'breach its statutory break-even duty'.

On 29 July Perkin was asked to resign and when he refused, he was sacked. Perkin claims that in a telephone conversation he secretly recorded, PwC audit partner Simon Sharp confirmed the FD had not been fired for his professional performance.

PwC declined to comment.

The Trust denies Perkin was unfairly dismissed. Perkin is seeking reinstatement to his £100,000 a year job and a full hearing is set for 23 April and is expected to last eight days.