A doctor's secretary who claimed she had been victimised for blowing the whistle on a "chaotic cancer unit" has won her case against Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust.

At an employment tribunal, the Trust conceded Irene Mounsey was unfairly threatened with an investigation following a TV appearance in which she expressed her concern at poor standards of care.

That investigation was also a factor in the delaying of a decision by the NHS Pensions Agency as to whether she should receive temporary injury allowance during a period when she was off work with stress for 18 months.

Mrs Mounsey claimed the illness had been caused by the affair.

After the tribunal, she said: "I feel vindicated and I am thankful my name has been cleared. Now I just want to get on with the rest of my life."

Melanie Tether, representing the Trust, said she agreed Mrs Mounsey had been acting in good faith in responding to what she considered to be unfair press coverage of her former boss, breast consultant Robert Phipps.

She agreed that the interview should have been permitted under the Trust's own freedom of speech policy, and warnings of the Trust investigation had caused Mrs Mounsey to suffer a detriment.

The case has been adjourned while the date is set for a future hearing to consider a damages claim.

Giving evidence at the tribunal yesterday, sacked surgeon Robert Phipps supported his former secretary's claim that she was victimised for complaining of poor standards of patient care at the cancer unit.

Mr Phipps told the tribunal Mrs Mounsey had been subjected to "disproportionate and unjustified treatment and criticism" by managers at Bradford Hospital NHS Trust.

"There was no problem with her work and suddenly it became an issue after she reported her concerns to chief nurse Rose Stephens and I believe the two are linked."

He said that hospital managers had not contacted him to ask his views on the standards of her work.

"I believe there was a general attempt to undermine both Mrs Mounsey and myself," he said.

Chief Nurse Mrs Stephens told the hearing in Leeds that it wasn't normal procedure for someone in her position to become involved in disciplining a secretary but said there were strict guidelines concerning the breast cancer unit which had led her to get involved.

Mrs Stephens said she believed her staff had acted appropriately when Mrs Mounsey raised fears for the health of cancer patients.

She said she was sorry for not speaking to Mrs Mounsey directly but denied she had put pressure on manager Pat Campbell to sack her.

Mrs Mounsey, 53, of Shibden, near Halifax, spent 18 months off work with stress before quitting her job in January.

She believes managers targeted her because of her support for sacked consultant surgeon Mr Phipps, who claims he had told hospital management that patients should have received vital radiotherapy treatments.