According to the Telegraph, a nurse has been suspended from her job because she told a patient that she would pray for her recovery:
Caroline Petrie, a committed Christian, has been accused by her employers of failing to demonstrate a “personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity”.
She faces disciplinary action and could lose her job over the incident.
Oh, my word… As an atheist, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if someone said that they were going to pray for me. It won’t do any harm and so what? They mean well, so why should anyone object? Okay, I know that some of these folk get hot under the collar about such things, but frankly, some of them give atheism a bad name, so dogmatic are they. I would suspect that the vast majority of us would simply smile and let it pass – because no harm has been done and the believer means well by it.
However, after the incident on December 15, she was contacted by the trust and asked to explain her actions.
There is nothing to explain, she offered to pray – something people have done since time immemorial. But…
The woman patient, who is believed to be in her late 70s, is understood to have complained to the trust.
What a vicious, vindictive thing to do. This is how she repays a kind thought; because that is all it is – and it does no harm.
At last week’s hour-long meeting, Mrs Petrie says she was told the patient had said she was not offended by the prayer offer but the woman argued that someone else might have been.
There is no right not to be offended – and, I suspect that any reasonable person who does not share Caroline Petrie’s belief would not be offended, they would recognise compassion for what it is. Oh, did I say reasonable? Silly me…
We always take any concerns raised by our patients most seriously and conscientiously investigate any matter of this nature brought to our attention.
We are always keen to be respectful of our patients’ views and sensitivity as well as those of our staff.
The trust is taking an altogether pedantic approach to professional conduct, here. What they should have said was “oh, do grow up and get over yourself”. But they won’t. They never do. We must all respect “diversity” and be careful not to offend the professionally offended. Well, fuck them, frankly. I hope Caroline Petrie sues and wins – she deserves to.
Hear hear!!!! What is the world coming to?!!!!!!
“I hope Caroline Petrie sues and wins – she deserves to.”
Me too, and I’m not in the slightest religious.
I’ve got a post teed up for tomorrow (a bit of a long one, by my standards) on this very subject, comparing it to another egregious example in the news this morning…
yes what IS this country coming too and why cant someone say that in their place of work this is a christian country … cant i say that!!!! i just did
What concerns me is that we have only heard Mrs Petrie’s side. thisisbristol.co.uk reports that this is the second occasion an elderly patient has complained about Mrs Petrie’s prayer offerings, she was reprimanded in October for a similar incident. For two complaints to be raised by elderly patients (a group I imagine complain very rarely) I am assuming there may be more to the story than is being reported.
Following two complaints, I think it is perfectly acceptable for the matter to be investigated and we do need to remember the media reports are based on interviews with Mrs Petrie and therefore one sided.
Quite so – however, the offer of a prayer is nothing to complain about in the first instance and is certainly nothing that should result in disciplinary action. In a more enlightened society, we would be taking a much more pragmatic approach to “offence”. As I said, there is no right not to be offended; such a concept is absurd – and, I repeat, no harm is done or intended by someone offering to pray.
“For two complaints to be raised by elderly patients (a group I imagine complain very rarely) I am assuming there may be more to the story than is being reported.”
Read the ‘Mail’ article. In the first complaint, it wasn’t the patient (who was reportedly grateful for the prayer card they were offered), it was their carer who complained.
In this new incident, the patient claimed not to be offended herself, but thought others might be.
This is, once again, a case of those not directly affected taking it upon themselves to meddle on behalf of others, without regard to their wishes.
A very dangerous road to allow people to go down, in my opinion….
Many posters, here and elsewhere, understand that the freedom is being hijacked. It’s not about Christians at all, it’s about a set of nasty little tyrants who want life to revolve around them.
What l find most alarming about the Caroline Petrie prayer incident is that the patient bothered to go to the trouble of reporting it, but more importantly that her senior colleagues started a disciplinary proceedure. As a nurse, this really shouldn’t surprise me,as my experience tells me that nurses delight in getting each other into trouble. lt seems like a way of gaining favour with their superiors. A culture of fear exists such that, we are only out for ourselves to the detriment of others.
The Health Authority concerned should focus it’s attention and spending on patient care, not politically correct diversity nonsense.
Unfortunately Caroline Petrie is in a tricky position as a bank nuse, l fear that they will just not use her again, despite her 25 years nursing experience and her unquestionable dedicatuon, the likes of which is often sadly lacking in many care envionments.
However, some good may come from this, because it brings to the public’s attention the petty nature of those running our Healthcare system, not to mention the code of conduct regulations of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC), the governing body for nurses in the UK.
“As a nurse, this really shouldn’t surprise me,as my experience tells me that nurses delight in getting each other into trouble. lt seems like a way of gaining favour with their superiors.”
That’s not confined to nurses. I think you’ll find it happens in any large enough organisation!
Tell me about it… 😐
I’d far rather be solemnly prayed for by some po-faced Christian nurse than be visited in hospital by Lady Thatcher, Gordon Brown, or some other publicity-seeking politician.
I’ve just e-mailed my disgust at the treatment of this nurse to the North Somerset Health Authority. Why don’t people who feel the same do likewise?
*I’ve just e-mailed my disgust at the treatment of this nurse to the North Somerset Health Authority. Why don’t people who feel the same do likewise?*
It was the first thing I did after reading about this on BBC online this afternoon 🙂
For anyone else interested in doing so (and the more the better IMO) here is the link :
http://www.northsomerset.nhs.uk/theTrust/contact_us.asp