[UK] Employer failed to provide reasonable adjustments for months, disciplined me for the resulting absences, and triggered medical emergencies. Do I have a claim and what is a realistic settlement value?
TL;DR: My employer delayed my start date to order disability equipment, but left me without it for over half a year. This caused severe physical pain, which led to medication that triggered multiple life-threatening respiratory emergencies at work. Managers withheld critical H&S emails. The employer secretly authorised paid special leave because the office was unsafe, but still gave me a formal written warning for absences caused by the missing equipment. Do I have a strong tribunal claim, should I push for a settlement, and what might a realistic financial value be?
Body:
I work in a large public sector organisation. Before starting, I declared multiple disabilities (spinal/mobility issues, a severe chronic respiratory condition, and I am neurodivergent). The employer delayed my start date specifically to ensure a specialist ergonomic chair and a rise-and-fall desk were ordered and ready for day one.
The equipment wasn't there when I started. It took nearly six months for a chair to arrive, and when it did, it was defective. The desk arrived a month later
Because I had no ergonomic chair, my spinal issue flared up severely. I have a long daily commute that already takes a toll on my back, so the lack of office support pushed it over the edge. I required a prescription for NSAIDs to manage the pain. Those NSAIDs are a known trigger for my respiratory condition. This directly caused life-threatening respiratory failures within six months, requiring emergency ambulances to be called to my workplace. A hospital formally documented this exact chain of events.
My line manager actively withheld a critical email from the Health & Safety team for about a month, deliberately stalling my equipment order while I was in physical pain.
The employer internally authorised around two months of "Paid Special Leave," acknowledging the working environment was unsafe. However, they hid this status from me, told me to keep working, and then issued a Formal Written Warning for sickness absences—including disciplining me for an absence that fell inside the exact dates of their own authorised Paid Special Leave.
A subsequent manager explicitly put in writing that Occupational Health recommendations are essentially just a loophole they don't actually have to follow.
The employer refused remote work, claiming the role required face-to-face attendance. However, a colleague in my exact role and probation status was granted 100% remote work.
Settlement & Next Steps:
I've filed a grievance, but they have formally rejected ACAS Early Conciliation. My probation has been extended.
I want to avoid a drawn-out, multi-year legal battle if possible.
Given the evidence, I am looking at claims for failure to make reasonable adjustments, discrimination arising from disability, victimisation, and potential personal injury. I earn an average salary with a generous defined-benefit pension scheme.
What is a realistic settlement value I should be aiming for? How do I calculate this, and what is the best strategy to force them to the negotiating table now that they've rejected ACAS?