By Richard Hartley-Parkinson for Metro.co.uk
A nurse who gave a patient a bible she did not want and spoke about religion with patients has said she will fight her dismissal.
Sister Sarah Kuteh received repeated warnings over the ‘unwanted discussions’ at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent, but continued to talk about religion with people.
She said that she approached the subject as part of her job because she helped people fill out questionnaires that included a question about religion.
However, she went a step further and some people accused her of ‘preaching’ at them so she was fired for breaching guidelines.
Now, with the help of the Christian Legal Centre, she is taking Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust to tribunal for unfair dismissal.
But one patient complained that she was given a Bible that she didn’t want while another said that Mrs Kuteh was ‘preaching’ at her.
Mrs Kuteh believes her sacking from Darent Valley hospital in Dartford, Kent, was ‘disproportionate and punitive’.
She told the Mail on Sunday: ‘It was embarrassing for me – and painful after all I had done in my years as a nurse.
‘I was told I couldn’t even speak to my colleagues. All I had done was to nurse from my heart. How could it be harmful to tell someone about Jesus?’
She said that she had become more careful about speaking about religion following a warning in April following complaints about her approach.
She said it was not her intention to force her religion on other people and they often approached the subject with her first.
However, three more complaints were levelled against her in June leading to her suspension before being sacked in August and an appeal being rejected.
The NHS trust said: ‘We have a duty to our patients that when they are at their most vulnerable they are not exposed to unsolicited beliefs and/ or views, religious or otherwise. We feel we have acted appropriately in this case.’
She said that she approached the subject as part of her job because she helped people fill out questionnaires that included a question about religion.
However, she went a step further and some people accused her of ‘preaching’ at them so she was fired for breaching guidelines.
Now, with the help of the Christian Legal Centre, she is taking Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust to tribunal for unfair dismissal.
But one patient complained that she was given a Bible that she didn’t want while another said that Mrs Kuteh was ‘preaching’ at her.
Mrs Kuteh believes her sacking from Darent Valley hospital in Dartford, Kent, was ‘disproportionate and punitive’.
She told the Mail on Sunday: ‘It was embarrassing for me – and painful after all I had done in my years as a nurse.
‘I was told I couldn’t even speak to my colleagues. All I had done was to nurse from my heart. How could it be harmful to tell someone about Jesus?’
She said that she had become more careful about speaking about religion following a warning in April following complaints about her approach.
She said it was not her intention to force her religion on other people and they often approached the subject with her first.
However, three more complaints were levelled against her in June leading to her suspension before being sacked in August and an appeal being rejected.
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| UK nurse who gave Bible to a patient who didn’t want it vows to fight being sacked |
