The nurse who said Conservative voters did not ‘deserve to be resuscitated by the NHS’ says she is now being fired from her job. Watch the clip here:
Miranda Hughes, 46, appeared on a live TV debate on Channel 5 hosted by Jeremy Vine, titled Britain on the Brink, where she discussed her decision to quit the NHS for the private sector.
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She said she ‘could not handle the emotional stress of not being able to deliver’ for her patients, adding: “You are squeezed to the point where you cannot treat people, the way you need to treat them.”
As her frustration grew, Hughes said: “And I am sorry but if you have voted Conservative you do not deserve to be resuscitated by the NHS.
“I know that is harsh, I know that is harsh, but I'm looking at these gentlemen and it has made me so angry.”
When Vine asked if she meant what she said by Vine, she clarified: “No, of course I would [resuscitate Conservative voters], of course I would.
“But it is appalling the way we have been treated. All nurses have been slapped in the face.”
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Hughes has now confirmed she is in the process of being fired from her current job with a private healthcare provider as a result of her comments.
Speaking to The Telegraph, she explained: “They can do that to me because of their media policy. I am not allowed to say anything.
“I have brought the company into disrepute so yes I am being sacked.”
She continued: “The reason I went on the programme was that you cannot care for your patients, it’s impossible. Because I care too much and even Jeremy Vine said to me working in the NHS broke you.
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“Well yes it has and it’s broken me again. I can’t do what’s right and it frustrates the hell out of me because I’ve been sick myself, I’ve had to watch people die and there are no resources to help.
“That is the point I was trying to make and yet I had someone goading me from the other side of the studio and laughing. It made me so angry and I directed the comment at him.”
Hughes added: “I lost my temper and I said something inappropriate. Now I am going to lose my job because the Twitterati have gone to town.
“I am being vilified for being some monster that doesn’t care and unfortunately the problem is I care too much."
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Hughes told the Daily Mail she was contacted by her employer soon after the clip went viral, and was told she was being fired for breaching her contract as a rehabilitation case manager with south London-based company HCML.
The company, which specialises in medical assessment and rehabilitation, said in a statement on social media: “The opinions expressed by the individual are their own personal views and do not represent those of the company.
“The company has policies which determine the permissibility of comments made by employees in the media, or on social media, and we will be investigating the extent to which the comments in question breached those policies. If a breach is found to have occurred then appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”
The firm did not comment on claims by Hughes that she is being fired.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has also released a statement to say it is aware of the comments made by Hughes.
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A spokesperson said: “We’ve seen a lot of tweets about a comment made yesterday on television.
“Our Code is clear that professionals on our register must promote professionalism and trust at all times. Where concerns are raised with us we’ll always look into it and consider taking action if needed.”
LADbible has reached out to HCML for a comment.
Jess Hardiman