Senior Nurse Suspended Following Tribunal Findings
A senior nurse working at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington has been suspended from practice for 12 months after a disciplinary panel found she subjected a junior colleague to a campaign of racist and ageist abuse. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) concluded that Cynthia Njoku's actions fell seriously short of expected professional standards and amounted to misconduct.
A Pattern of Abuse and a Failure to Act
The incidents, which occurred in 2021 within a respiratory ward at St Mary's Hospital, came to light during an NMC hearing held in October and November. The colleague, identified only as Person A, testified that she was called a 'Polish cow', 'Polish idiot', and 'stupid old cow' by Miss Njoku.
Person A stated that the abuse left her feeling unvalued, isolated, and put down, to the extent that she dreaded going to work. She became very nervous when Miss Njoku was on duty and would avoid seeking her help for fear of being reprimanded or insulted for any mistakes.
The situation was exacerbated when Person A reported the incidents to a ward matron. According to the NMC report, she was told she was taking things 'too personally'. The panel noted that management seemingly granted Miss Njoku's request not to be rostered with Person A without any attempt to investigate or resolve the underlying conflict.
Denials and a 'Limited' Insight
Miss Njoku denied the allegations, claiming she had only supervised Person A on two occasions. However, the panel found this unlikely given her senior position. Evidence, including email exchanges with the matron, showed Miss Njoku had expressed frustration about working with Person A.
While the panel dismissed one claim that Miss Njoku had sworn at her colleague, it found her overall denials demonstrated a 'limited' insight into her wrongdoing. A reflective statement she provided was criticised for lacking remorse, empathy, or an understanding of the psychological impact her behaviour had on Person A.
The NMC acknowledged the incidents happened during the stressful Covid-19 pandemic in a ward with a poor workplace culture. Nevertheless, the panel stated that her conduct was 'wholly unacceptable' and a serious breach of fundamental nursing standards that would be seen as deplorable by the public and fellow professionals.
The suspension order stands for 12 months, and Miss Njoku has 28 days to appeal the ruling.
