Anti-vaxx nurse struck off

there are people who are still on the medical register who hold similar views, but maybe are more circumspect in how they publicly espouse them.
as the recent tv show reported, this is a vast international cult-like movement.
the same people who influenced many thousands not to use MMR, leading to avoidable deaths/disability.

I know Wiki isn't always 100% accurate, but the entry about her is interesting:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Shemirani

By coincidence (or probably not), I have seen so many of her arguments repeated by others on social media. Quite frankly, I wouldn't want her to be anywhere near me, even I only had the mildest of ailments.

Yes, my race has all sorts of hair and skin colour, you can tell from my user name.
I really didn't mean to be offensive, just musing on the possibility, really.
There are a lot of us who are either waiting to see what happens, or plain refusing.
I haven't had mine yet as temporarily medically exempt. But I try my best to educate, some aren't listening and happy to wait.

You did see her picture though didn’t you?

I do apologise, I should have stated. I'm from an ethnic minority and so many of my race aren't taking the vaccine as they believe they had enough trials that they didn't have a say in. That's why I was asking her race and culture, to see if she thought the same as our elders.
I do apologise if it looked like I was being racist, far from it.

Namsnanny I agree we all have a choice whether to have the vaccine or not. Like we all have a choice if we smoke or eat too much and become obese and have the medical consequences of obesity. I don't think it is on to say' It serves them right.' That is too harsh IMO .A lot of people have blinkered thinking on all kinds of subjects.

Galaxy

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

Cricketer?
I missed that one but a cricketer is not a medical professional.

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.

No it won't.

People holding and espousing completely crackpot theories which, if patients believed her, might lead to their deaths, should not be in the profession.

It is against the Code of Conduct

20.7 make sure you do not express your personal beliefs
(including political, religious or moral beliefs) to people in
an inappropriate way

Posters have had such conspiracy theories deleted from internet sites including this one but for a nurse to spread such theories is far worse and she should, quite rightly, be struck off.

I saw an interview with her grown-up sons, but still only early20s.They spoke so sadly of their mother. From what they said, I do not think she was ever quite 'normal' in her thinking and they were so ashamed of what she was doing. When the interviewer asked if theythought the relationship could ever be mended. There was a few seconds silence and then he said, no I do not think that will ever be possible.

People like this nurse do not give a thought to the damage it does to other peoplemwho should be looking to them for support and protection.

Very interesting ( and sad) interview with her son. Thank you for link lemsip

MawBe

I don’t see why her ethnic background should make any difference at all - you may be on shaky ground here.

I don't understand why it's relevant either.

grannysyb

Totally agree with growstuff and Mawbe.

Me too.

Florida12

Another retired nurse here, the NMC nursing and midwifery council would always take a very dim view. The guidelines are to protect the public. I never even got in to discussions with patients about politics, football, and always kept it zipped when the Royal Family were in the media headlines.
People don’t want to hear our opinions....they just want us to do no harm.

yup, same here. I live in what used to be a huge huntin shootin area and some of the houses filled with trophies would turn my stomach. Not my business while I was at work. Smile and nod, nod and smile.

some may want to hear from her son, on bbc sounds
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cszvsf
and maybe read below.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8751653/Shamed-anti-vaxxer-nurse-sparks-violent-clashes-mass-rally-virus-deniers.html

I wonder if this nurse actually has any knowledge of what happened at Auschwitz. She probably doesn’t since her views display ignorance.

Another retired nurse here, the NMC nursing and midwifery council would always take a very dim view. The guidelines are to protect the public. I never even got in to discussions with patients about politics, football, and always kept it zipped when the Royal Family were in the media headlines.
People don’t want to hear our opinions....they just want us to do no harm.

I don’t see why her ethnic background should make any difference at all - you may be on shaky ground here.

You can see her picture upthread.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Galaxy

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

She wore her official nurses uniform for one tirade!

Galaxy

So it would have been fine if she wasnt in a nurses uniform. Look I think she is talking nonsense and offensive nonsense at that. Drawing lines is not easy, should nurses who discuss anti vaccine theories be sacked, forget the uniform and the slagging off her own employers which was particularly spectacular, what about if she had simply been saying she believes the vaccine is dangerous. I dont believe that to be clear but I am interested where the line us drawn and more importantly who draws it.

For nurses, the line is drawn by the Royal College of Nursing, for other health professions, the Health Professions Council and also by individual professional bodies and employers.
Its not a matter of uniform merely or of what you do within working hours. If you describe yourself as a nurse or a member of a health profession or as an employee of a named organisation...eg by saying on twitter that you are a nurse, then anything you say must follow the behaviour rules laid down by your professional or registration body and also in some cases by the organisation that you work for. And we all KNOW this.
professional titles, such as Nurse, Midwife etcetera are also closely protected by the same bodies...and we all know this too. I am a retired Occupational Therapist. I no longer hold a registration to practice so I can't describe myself as an Occupational Therapist.
Its very clear, we all understand it, she crossed the line and that's that.

MawBe

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.

this absolutely. I am a retired Occupational Therapist and both professional organisations and the Health Professions Council are very clear about what is permitted when you are at work (both NHS and private) and also when you are representing or describing yourself by your profession. It actually is that simple.

I agree with Growstuff. Public institutions' employees should be heart and soul with their employers.

In the case of whistle blower against institutions that become immoral, the above is the exception , and I understand that even soldiers can refuse to obey immoral orders. However the nurse in question was not simply refusing to do something immoral, she was acting against the interest of the NHS and the public who instituted the NHS.

I trained as a nurse too and don't remember taking an oath.
I do feel that people are entitled to their opinion however strange those opinions may seem. This does not mean they are mentally ill as has been suggested.
I think the problem lies with this woman publicly promoting her opinions in her capacity as a nurse.

Totally agree with growstuff and Mawbe.