Tribunal upholds youth worker’s dismissal over unauthorised first aid
Damien Burke was dismissed from a Harrow Club youth centre after giving a bleeding teenager a wet tissue following a fight, an action the club treated as unauthorised first aid. Employment judges rejected his challenge, finding that the dismissal for gross misconduct was within the club’s rights.
The incident followed a July 2023 fight in which one teenager returned to the club with a missing tooth and blood on his face. Burke, who had worked there for 13 years, said he was trained as a first aider in the past and had offered only minimal help; the club said he had not reported the incident or sought help from trained first aiders. His line manager was also dismissed, partly over the incident.
- A youth club worker was sacked over unauthorised first aid.
- Judges rejected his challenge to the dismissal.
- The incident followed a fight that left a teenager bleeding.
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Damien Burke had worked at a Harrow Club youth centre for 13 years before being dismissed over an incident in July 2023. A teenager arrived at the centre injured from a fight, with a missing tooth and blood on his face. Burke gave the teenager a wet tissue to help stop the bleeding.
The club dismissed him for gross misconduct, treating his action as unauthorised first aid. Burke said he had previous first aid training and had provided minimal help, but the club argued he should have reported the incident and asked a trained first aider for assistance instead. His line manager was also dismissed partly over the same incident.
An employment tribunal has upheld the dismissal, ruling the club acted within its rights. The case concerns how youth organisations can enforce their procedures for handling injuries when staff members attempt to provide medical assistance.
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The case for
The club's protocols exist to protect young people and ensure proper accountability in a youth setting. When a teenager was injured, Burke should have reported the incident to trained first aiders or management rather than providing unauthorised assistance himself, regardless of his past training. Not following these procedures or documenting the incident represents a serious breach of duty of care where proper chains of command and qualified personnel are essential. Permitting such informal interventions, however well-intentioned, would undermine the organisation's safeguarding framework.
The case against
Burke's action was minimal—a wet tissue—not medical intervention, and he possessed legitimate first aid training from his past. After 13 years of service, his instinctive compassion towards a bleeding teenager should be weighed against rigid procedural interpretation. The dismissal appears disproportionate to the actual risk posed; he was being humane in an emergency rather than recklessly breaching protocol. Whilst reporting procedures matter, the severe punishment suggests the club failed to account for context, intent, and his long track record of service.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Worker sacked from historic Harrow youth club for giving teenager ‘wet tissue’ to wipe blood from his face after fight”.