Former chair ‘sensationalised whistleblowing claim to oust CEO’

An employment tribunal has thrown out a former chair’s whistleblowing claims against a trust CEO, saying he “misrepresented and exaggerated” concerns as part of a campaign to oust her.

Max Mclean, who was chair of Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust from 2019 to 2023, was heavily criticised in the ruling, which said it had “not identified any misconduct or lack of personal performance” by CEO Mel Pickup.

In contrast, it said the former chair had launched a “personal battle” to oust Ms Pickup and “was (and remains) blind to any findings about his own behaviour”.

Mr Mclean told HSJ he was “disappointed” by the tribunal’s conclusions and he did “not accept a number of the characterisations made about my motivations and conduct”. He denied asking NHS England to remove the CEO.

Mr Mclean left the trust that year following an “irretrievable breakdown” in the relationship between him and Ms Pickup.

In February 2025, he announced he would take the trust to an employment tribunal, claiming he was unfairly dismissed for raising concerns about baby deaths.

However, according to a summary reasons judgment published by the trust this week, the tribunal ruled these did not represent whistleblowing concerns because of the way that he raised them, in an appraisal with Ms Pickup, and the time he took to raise the concerns. The tribunal said Mr Mclean had been notified of the neonatal incidents in April 2021.

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Source: HSJ, 19 May 2026

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