A nurse is taking her GP brother to an employment tribunal, claiming he dismissed her during her pregnancy without making it clear she was being sacked. Anika Moughal accuses her brother, Dr Mohammed Moughal, of using vague language when ending her employment at Greenlaw Medical Practice in Paisley, near Glasgow.

Trying to cushion the impact, Dr Moughal told Ms Moughal to “stop logging in” rather than explicitly stating she was “fired” or “terminated”. Consequently, Ms Moughal was unaware her job had ended. Starting at Greenlaw in 2013 as a receptionist, Ms Moughal later worked as a health care support worker from 2014 to 2018 while qualifying as a nurse.

She rejoined the practice in September 2020 as a practice nurse after taking time off to marry.

Her role involved remote management of patients with chronic illnesses, with occasional in-person work for Covid-19 vaccinations or smear clinics.

During her complicated pregnancy in 2023, the practice manager, Sandra Grant, reduced Ms Moughal’s face-to-face duties.

The tribunal heard that the practice’s partners agreed to remove Ms Moughal from the payroll from May 1 2024. In a late April 2024 discussion, Dr Moughal advised her to stop working, citing a dispute among the partners and saying, “bear with me”.

This ambiguity led Ms Moughal to believe the arrangement might not be permanent.

No written confirmation of her termination was provided, and Ms Moughal only realised she had been sacked when she received a P45 form in August 2024.

Employment Judge Mark Whitcombe ruled that Dr Moughal’s unclear words, set against the backdrop of a partnership dispute, did not sufficiently indicate a permanent dismissal.

A reasonable employee, the judge said, would not have understood the conversation as ending her contract.

Greenlaw Medical Practice, with sites in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, and Pollokshields, has since closed following the partners’ dispute.

The tribunal confirmed Ms Moughal’s status as an employee and her dismissal, allowing her unfair dismissal claim to proceed. A full hearing will follow.