A nurse from Cornwall has been suspended after launching racial abuse at a fellow publican. Rebecca Steward was subject to a misconduct hearing following her behaviour at a pub in Liskeard.
Steward, employed as a registered nurse by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at the time, was reported after it was alleged that she made several abusive and racially offensive comments towards a member of the public. That member of the public then made a complaint to the Trust.
The allegations were proved true during a misconduct hearing held in November 2024. It heard how on August 9, 2022, Steward attended The King Doniert, a J D Wetherspoon pub, in Liskeard, where she called a member of the public a “c**t” and told them, “Because of the colour of your skin, you are being treated differently”.
She also said words to the effect of, “because they are black I’m getting thrown out, I’m a regular!” and “your lot always get away with stuff”. The panel found the language used “was racist and/or discriminatory and/or offensive” and “was intended to cause offence”.
It concluded that in light of the above, her fitness to practise was impaired by reason of her misconduct. In her statement, Steward states that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident and unable to accurately recall what was said, other than a denial that she would have used the word ‘c**t’ and that she would not make racist comments.
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However, as there was no further information or alternative suggested by Steward, who admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at the time and unable to clearly recall the incident, the panel decided that the statement of the witness was a better account of what happened.
The panel noted that the only witness to these incidents is the member of the public who was out at the public house with their partner. While some of the statements are reported by the witness’ partner, from whom there is no direct statement, the panel considered that as they were consistent in tone and content to words heard directly by the witness and were reported to the witness immediately, it is reasonable to accept the account given in the witness statement.
Steward also told the panel that she was experiencing significant personal difficulties at the time of the incident. The panel noted that within the two statements provided by Steward there are conflicting accounts of the reasons she used the language and therefore finds that her insight is inconsistent and therefore limited.
Steward showed some regret at the language she used in her initial reflection on May 11, 2023, but in a later email on August 20, 2024, she contradicts her original recollection of events and does not demonstrate any remorse or learning from the events
The panel found that Steward’s actions did fall seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse and amounted to misconduct. The code says you must ‘uphold the reputation of your profession at all times’ and ‘treat people as individuals and uphold their dignity’
The panel imposed an interim suspension order for a period of 18 months to provide cover during any potential appeal period. If no appeal is made, then the interim suspension order will be replaced by the substantive striking off order.