Judge slams ‘appalling’ handling of claim against GHA

A Supreme Court judge has slammed the “appalling” handling of a claim brought by a doctor against the Gibraltar Health Authority, highlighting a series of missed court deadlines that have left the taxpayer exposed to a sizeable bill for damages.

The case has dragged out for over six years and raised serious concerns after it emerged the GHA and a government lawyer missed a key deadline in a court order on disclosure of documents, leading to a judgement in default in favour of the claimant.?

The failure to comply with the disclosure order means the GHA lost the case without even contesting it, leaving the public purse exposed to damages that could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The judgement in default dates back to 2015 but has never been reported publicly until now.

Despite the time that has since elapsed, the case yet to proceed to the next stage in the process, a hearing to evaluate the damages the claimant will receive.

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