A NURSE from Cornwall has been struck off after she reportedly went on a ‘racist rant’ at a local pub.

At a recent misconduct hearing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard how one nurse was reported after calling a member of the public a “c***” and cited someone’s race for the reason of the attack.

Rebecca Steward was summoned to the hearing after a member of the public made a complaint to the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, alleging that she made a number of abusive and racially offensive comments towards them.

According to the report, on August 9, 2022, in The King Doniert Public House in Liskeard, Miss Steward allegedly used the expletive at a member of the public.

She was also reported as saying “yeah, get your woman to control you, you miserable c***!”, “because they are black I'm getting thrown out, I'm a regular!”

She also reportedly cited the individual’s race during the exchange, saying: “because of the colour of your skin you are being treated differently”, and “your lot always get away with stuff”.

In reaching its decisions, the panel took into account all the documentary evidence together with the representations made by the NMC and from Miss Steward.

When assessing the charge, the panel found it to be proven that Miss Steward’s actions were “racist and/or discriminatory”.

The hearing heard: “The panel noted that these terms make reference to the race of the person being spoken to and use the colour of their skin as a way to make them appear ‘other’ than Miss Steward and to make a difference between her and the person being spoken to. The panel considered that this is inherently racist.”

The panel went on to explain: “Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society and are expected at all times to be professional. Patients and their families must be able to trust nurses with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. To justify that trust, nurses must act with integrity. They must make sure that their conduct at all times justifies both their patients’ and the public’s trust in the profession.”

Following the incident, one of the witnesses to the incident – who made the complaint – stated: “I would not want her looking after any of my family members or anybody of colour with that attitude.”

During the hearing, the panel noted that Miss Steward showed “some regret” at the language she used in her initial reflection, however, in a later recount of events, she “does not demonstrate any remorse or learning from the events.”

Following the hearing, the panel decided to make a striking-off order, directing the registrar to strike Miss Steward from the register.

The panel concluded: “Miss Steward’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.

“The findings in this particular case demonstrate that Miss Steward’s actions were serious and to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession.”