Occupational health referral decides stress case

In Unwin v West Sussex County Council 13 July 2001, 1998 U no. 563, a teacher whose depression was exacerbated by a short period of negligent treatment by her employers wins limited damages. The case raises many issues that would now be subject to the Court of Appeal's guidelines on stress damages in Sutherland v Hatton and others [2002] EWCA Civ 76. The guidelines, in particular, cover the nub of this case: the employer's failure to refer the claimant for occupational health assistance.