Anti-vaxx nurse struck off

I don't understand the mentality of someone who must have a scientific background believing such tripe! Someone I worked with,who I considered intelligent, is refusing to be vaccinated for similar nonsensical ideas. As is her husband who is badly asthmatic.

Oh dear, unfortunately she is not a lone voice there are conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers in all walks of life! ?

It would seem, from what I've read, that some conspiracy theory groups are a real danger. I do hope that the government has them on a watch list!

Blimey. What a stupid and dangerous opinion for a nurse to hold. Quite right for her to be struck off and I hope unemployable in any care setting.

I am fairly wary of people being struck off for their opinions. Same with the cricketer thread.

Well if people belive them,they will have joined the stupid club.
Ride off on your unicorns thicko`s.

Referring to the NHS as the new Austwich!?

Why was she still working for them then?

She sounds mentally ill. I hope that she gets some help. I think that Covid has tipped people over the edge in many different ways

Galaxy

I am fairly wary of people being struck off for their opinions. Same with the cricketer thread.

There are opinions and actions which are questionable, however for a Health Care Professional to make the accusations sited in the OP which could cause distress and even death I think that the employers had no choice.

Big difference, she broke the rules of the nurses code that presents professional standards that all Nurses and Midwives must adhere to. As a retired RGN, and having been horrified at the harm she could do to her patients through her unproven ramblings, the same damage that Andrew Wakefield did. Preventing people seeking help.

I dont agree with her and I am sure she has broken all sorts of professional standards but when you get into sacking people for opinions then you end up with the cricketer who I am sure also had a code of conduct to adhere to. It's a bigger picture than the damage one conspiracy theorist can do.

I think its reasonable to be sacked for slagging off your own employer on social media but I am not sure I am comfortable with people being sacked for spouting nonsense conspiracy theories.

People are more likely to listen too and believe a health care professional so I think it's right that she's been struck off.

There are certain professions that overlap into your private life. Nursing, police, and teaching are some of them where you are expected to uphold certain standards the whole time. This nurse was in definite breach. Her opinion would have carried more weight for some because of her being a nurse and could cause harm.. It was right that she was struck off for not adhering to the professional code of conduct.

She used to work for the NHS, now promotes herself as an ‘aesthetic nurse practitioner’ with links to Flawless Me Ltd, a ‘beauty’ company.

I think when you have someone whose profession means people will believe what they say spreading advice that is likely to cause serious illness or death you can't ignore it.

Galaxy

I dont agree with her and I am sure she has broken all sorts of professional standards but when you get into sacking people for opinions then you end up with the cricketer who I am sure also had a code of conduct to adhere to. It's a bigger picture than the damage one conspiracy theorist can do.

As you say, she has breached professional standards. She was not sacked for holding her opinions, but expressing them in public, in nurse’s uniform, backed up by her qualifications, thereby attaching a professional dimension.

That's absolutely spot on Maw re the professional dimension
But on a more practical level, I would question her decision making skills and thought processes.
I don't think that she is up to dealing with the public in such a possibly dangerous capacity.
She sounds a complete and utter liability, an accident waiting to happen.

As long as you are comfortable with sacking people for holding opinions and expressing them in public. But you need to know that one day that will apply to your opinions. It's very complex. It would be lovely if it was simple.

Galaxy

I am fairly wary of people being struck off for their opinions. Same with the cricketer thread.

When I was HR manager for a local business my philosophy was you can think what you want but while you are taking the money you tow the line. If they wanted to go against company ethos I expected them to make sure it didn't link to business.

Galaxy

As long as you are comfortable with sacking people for holding opinions and expressing them in public. But you need to know that one day that will apply to your opinions. It's very complex. It would be lovely if it was simple.

Please do not distort the facts.

She was not sacked for holding opinions
When you belong to a professional body, you should not bring that body or the profession into disrepute - which is what she has done.
There is a clear distinction.
Her social media accounts were taken down and she was suspended from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in July last year for spreading misinformation.
Now a NMC committee has ruled that her misconduct was so serious that she should be struck from the nursing register permanently.
It ruled that her fitness to practise as a registered nurse was impaired on both public protection and public interest grounds.

A mental health issue there obviously.
Someone else, a man, was acting like her and he's now seriously ill with Covid. Serves them right I say. Pride comes before a fall, every time.

She can hold whatever opinions she likes, but when dressed in her nurse’s uniform and thereby appearing to give her professional opinion that her nursing and medical colleagues are ‘criminals, liars and murderers, akin to the third reich’, she must have known that she was breaching professional standards.

Thank you Grannyactivist my point exactly!

Nurses have to sign an oath before beginning their job---I remember having to, so any form of misconduct gets you an immediate dismissal.