Bail out! Bail out!
Chaos and resignations at the head office of Air Ambulance. James Garrett follows up on the fall out from his investigation into how a Somerset whistle-blower took on Air Ambulance in Cornwall and won
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Bail out! Bail out!
Earlier this year Somerset Confidential revealed the story of a Somerset helicopter engineer who rose to the top of the UK's oldest air ambulance charity to become its acting chief executive (you can read that piece here ).
However, when Steve Murdoch applied for the job on a permanent basis he lost out to a candidate who, it later emerged, had submitted an inaccurate CV.
The Employment Tribunal upheld Murdoch's claim that he had been unfairly constructively dismissed from Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust (CAAT) in 2021, after he blew the whistle to the charity's trustees on the actual record of the successful applicant.
In April Murdoch, who spent 10 years working for Aerosystems in Yeovil, then joined Thales in Wells before moving to Cornwall, settled out of court with CAAT and accepted an undisclosed sum.
Afterwards, the Charity Commission announced it was "opening a compliance case to examine governance concerns" over the appointment of the new chief executive who, the court ruled, must be known as X.
The Commission confirmed that, six months later, its investigation continues.
Now, we can reveal, a new scandal has erupted, after the CAAT trustee to whom Murdoch blew the whistle about X's record was shortlisted for a national award.
The identity of the air ambulance service's 'Trustee of the Year' for 2024 is due to be announced exactly one month from today at a ceremony in Coventry, hosted by the national umbrella body, Air Ambulances UK.
On the shortlist released in September were CAAT's Robert Cowie, Anni Ridsdill-Smith from the Essex & Hertfordshire service and Mike Beale from Scotland.
AAUK chief executive, Simmy Akhtar announced on her organisation's website, "The calibre of talent across the air ambulance sector is truly inspiring. Congratulations to everyone (sic) who has been shortlisted for the AAUK Awards of Excellence 2024."
CAAT's citation for Cowie was equally glowing. "Thanks to his unwavering commitment, dedication and financial expertise, the charity is now in the enviable position of being able to purchase a second AW169 helicopter."
It added, "Robert has overseen a governance review, helped steer the charity through choppy waters in the aftermath of a global pandemic, through a switch in air operation provider to maintain the aircraft contract and also a change in charity leadership."
However, while judging Murdoch's claim against CAAT the Employment Tribunal found Cowie's actions left questions to be answered.
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