A senior clinical perfusion scientist at Alder Hey Children's Hospital has been dismissed after "crude and offensive" post-it notes were discovered, and his legal bid for interim relief has been rejected by an employment tribunal.
James Faulkner, who had worked at the Liverpool children's hospital for 14 years, was dismissed in February following complaints about his behaviour towards younger female colleagues. The case, first reported by the BBC, included evidence about a number of notes allegedly written by Mr Faulkner. Some were said to be insulting, while others were described as overtly sexual. One read: "[Colleague's] face looks like a rabbit that has been run over."
Impact on staff and disciplinary findings
Alder Hey managers said the notes had a "profound impact" on staff and criticised Mr Faulkner for failing to show "ownership or accountability" for his behaviour. Alder Hey told the BBC it could not comment while legal proceedings were continuing, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The details have emerged from an employment tribunal judgment after Mr Faulkner applied for interim relief while he pursues a wider legal claim against Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust. Employment Judge Dawn Shotter rejected the application, saying she believed Mr Faulkner's case had "little or no reasonable prospect of success" based on the evidence presented.
Witness complaints and sexual harassment allegations
The tribunal heard that complaints had been made by more than 10 witnesses, with some female staff reportedly unwilling to attend an internal disciplinary hearing because they "felt intimidated" by Mr Faulkner. He faced three separate sexual harassment allegations relating to incidents reported between June 2024 and April 2025. While Mr Faulkner denied most of the allegations, he accepted making certain sexual comments.
During the disciplinary process, he told managers that he believed he had been "in a safe space with people I thought were my friends". He said: "I admit I left myself wide open for it, and I have no one to blame but myself in terms of this." Mr Faulkner also apologised and acknowledged that allowing him back into the workplace would be "a gamble", before promising to improve his behaviour.
Whistle-blower claim rejected
However, he disputes that the allegations were the true reason for his dismissal. He claims he was instead targeted after raising concerns about neonatal patient safety as a whistle-blower. Mr Faulkner alleges that his dismissal was carried out under a pretext and was "orchestrated" by his line manager.
The trust rejected that claim, arguing there was "not a shred of evidence" that the manager had influenced the decision to dismiss him. Judge Shotter agreed with the trust's position, saying the evidence showed that "numerous employees raised serious complaints against the claimant over a period of time".
