Nurse issued four month suspension following complaint of antisemitism

A nurse at the GHA has been suspended for four months after a complaint that online posts she made were antisemitic and inappropriate for someone in her position.   It followed the posting of an anti-Zionist video.

The complaint was the subject of an investigation by the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors’ Registration Board, a statutory body set up under the Medical and Health Act. 

Its duties are to look into whether a registrant has been found guilty of negligence, malpractice or infamous conduct.

 GBC asked how the Board had determined the four month suspension and what she had been found guilty of.  In reply, the NRB says it conducts a number of inquiries each year and does not publicly comment on its determinations.

For its part, when asked by GBC on whether there would be a follow-up to this, the GHA said it will take a decision as to its next steps during the four month suspension period.

A spokesperson for the Jewish community says its members feel vulnerable and unsafe knowing that a nurse in a position of public trust has openly shared messages of hatred against Jews. They say all the Government has said is that the nurse would be removed from treating Jewish patients, but would remain in the GHA. In the view of the Jewish Community, allowing someone in a position of trust, who has violated the norms and holds clear prejudices against a portion of the community, even if they are kept away from those they have targeted, amounts to state-endorsed discrimination. The Jewish Community also questions if this kind of behaviour would have been tolerated if directed at any other minority.

It has also expressed its deep disappointment at the way the GHA has handled the situation. They said this matter was raised with the Health Minister in September of 2024 receiving little or no attention until the community appealed to the Nursing Registration Board in January this year as a last resort. 

It says:

"At a time when Jewish people around the world are already feeling anxious and exposed, the GHA's lack of determination on this matter only adds to members' sense of vulnerability. For many, it feels like the system is not protecting us and let's not forget that public servants, especially in health care, have a duty to remain politically neutral in public and to show sensitivity to all members of the community."