Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

BBC NEWS | England | Somerset | Nurse suspended for prayer offer

It seem she offered to pray for a patient and was reported, personally I think it serves her right, if the patient asked her if she would and she was willing fair enough, as it is she should keep her mouth shut and if she feels the need to pray do it quietly without bothering people.

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Re: Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

don't see the problem:confused: the nurse asked her.... lady said no......nurse didn't.

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i thought they had done a study about the effects of prayer and found that it can help the recovery of believers if they knew they were being prayed for?

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This all seems a bit harsh really, If someone offered to pray for me for any reason I wouldnt make an issue of it or report them, they are just trying to help in any way that they can

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personally i would not bother one way or the other if a nurse asked me. i certainly would not report her if she went with what i said.

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how would you know? what if she included you in her prayers after saying she wouldnt?? :eek::eek:

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If a nurse said that to me I would conclude that all other means of recovery had been abandoned.
That isn't what I want to hear:eek:

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Does all seem rather peculiar and petty, however, we don't know if this nurse was trying to shove her beliefs down this patient's throat before the offer of prayer. She does appear to have quite a strong faith.

As she was only dressing her legs, obviously hadn't much faith in her own healing and would scare me a little to think I might need 'extra' help.:eek:

On the face of it I would have taken the offer in good spirit (even as an atheist). As Tesco says though 'Every little helps' :D

LOL Margaret ... you must have been having the same thoughts as I, as I was typing this post !

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couldn't care less, take people at face value, until they give me cause not to.:rolleyes:

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According to the radio, she had already been told not to distribute religious scripts to patients.

If these people appear at my door for example I can tell them to go away, if I am ill in bed I am a captive audience reliant on her to administer to my physical needs, she should not be there for my soul, if she is asked to pray for the patient then fair enough but, she should not offer this service that is not what she is there for.
She can go away and pray quietly to her God if she wishes, but why should I have to put up with her superstitions?

Will I and others need a sign over our beds to save us embarrassing each other?
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ah well it dont say that in the report, if she's already been told not to bible bash, that throws a different light on things.

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I pray the issue is soon resolved.

:D

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Amen to that.

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If the nurse had smacked her patient or if the nurse had stolen from the patient or set fire to the patient or even yelled abuse at the patient, fair enough, she should be suspended. The offer to pray for the patient seems pretty harmless, if distasteful to some. What a load of nonsense. :rolleyes:

Re: Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

Is it common for nurses to beat their patients and set fire to them:eek: And for this they are to be suspended:rolleyes:! You have some pretty strange hospitals over there.

Re: Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

Eric – when they say suspended it means they hang them.

However a nurse or doctor or anyone else should keep their religious beliefs to themselves and not bother the patients unless the patient actually asks.

Once upon a time the patient’s religion was written on the name plate over the bed and the hospital chaplain would go round the wards talking to all patients regardless of their religious leanings.

Re: Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

when i was in hospital a priest or some god sorta person wearing black ( may have been the grim reeper for all i know) asked me if i would like to pray and i declined but he left adding that he would pray for me no the less

i replied that while he was at it , if he was passing could he pick me up a chicken strip meal from KFC if he realy wanted to help

my ex later turned up with a pot noodle so maybe i shoulda prayed after all..

FOR CHICKEN

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they don't have religion written on name plates these days, but Iv'e had many chaplains/priests or whatever coming to beds and they just introduce themselves and blah blah..most just move on to the next bed.. funny enough never seen a muslim/buddist/hari krisnah etc !

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If god was paying attention to peoples health needs there wouldnt be anyone in hospital to pray for

the nearest thing god ever came close to the NHS with was jesus the free walking talking health plan and god stuck him on a cross and killed him where he did no one any good:rolleyes:

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I don't think the patient was in hospital. The newspaper report points to her being at home and the nurse being a health visitor. She may have been a rather over-zealous health visitor, in the religious sense, but it hardly seems like a criminal offence.

I'm an atheist, myself, but her actions would have amused rather than worried me. She didn't indulge in a harangue or try to convert the lady she just said, "Shall I say a prayer for you?" I honestly don't think it was any big deal.

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Thats right..no "big deal".. so why do the BBC and press make it a "big deal" ?

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cos crap sells, i mean how many watch "Big Brother" n the like or think "Corrys" real life.:D;)

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Yep ..and it was posted in the Sun newspaper.. the news paper that had a front page of "exorcist called in to rid hospital of ghosts"..come on Less.. summat better eh?

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At the end of the day, she was bringing her faith into her professional duties, which is against the rules I'm afraid. :(

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beyond dispute that, but whats the "big news" wi owt like that.:confused:

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Got us talkin' hasn't it ?

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I don't care who prays for me, just so long as they don't expect me to join in.

The nurse could have saved herself a whole heap of trouble, by just communing with her God in silent prayer, without the need to tell the poor soul with the ulcerated legs she was praying for her.

The patient, and the authorities etc. would have been none the wiser.

The only evidence that any prayers had been said at all, would have been when the bandages were removed, and the patient's legs were miraculously cured.

:D

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in an age where doctors and carers are murdering their patients or peopel they care for teh moaning mini shoud be greatfull all this woman did was offer to pray for her

i wonder if her illness made her so miserable and grumpy that she had ran out of things to moan about and saw the offer of prayer an opportunity to bend somones ear for an hour while she moaned about it

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Maybe the chaplian that came to Jambutty's bed got abit over the top.. live vid
YouTube - MC Hammer - Pray

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Well from what I can see it wasn't actually the patient that made a complaint it was another nurse who had heard about the issue. When I as last in hospital there were two people came round on ward visits, one was an RC hospital visitor (not a priest) and a C of E minister who, even though I said I was RC, still stopped or a chat. Myself I think its a total storm in a tea cup

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Would she have been suspended if she'd been promoting a non-Christian religion?

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Not a snowballs chance:rolleyes:

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considering the current climate i would give the snowball a fighting chance to be fair :D

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One thing for certain if she had been non Christian, we would be up to about page seventeen with irate, 'she should mind her own business posts by now!'.

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and 16 of them would have been filled by Gordie:D

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Reckon it's highly unlikely that a non-Christian nurse would offer to say prayers for a patient in the first place. Most of the God-botherers seem to come from Christian sects of one sort or another. How many devotees of non-Christian religions have you had knocking on your front door on a Sunday morning?

However, if the nurse had been Muslim and had been suspended for offering to say prayers, I'd say Less is right. We'd be up to our eyes in "sack her/deport her/they're taking over" posts by now!

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I had a long stay in hospital about 3 years ago ... before I was admitted, I was asked if I would like to be visited by one of the hospital chaplins ... I declined, and wasn't bothered ... but if any nurse had been concerned enough to offer to pray for me, I wouldn't have objected ... at least no one could tell me I didn't have a prayer.:eek:

But I have to admit that, considering I had only a 50 -50 chance of making it through surgery, I did give some serious thought to asking for a priest.

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Several. Mainly from American sects.

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What sort of American sects?

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And is it any wonder I don't have a religion? And Sheesh all this about being politically correct, next time she might say 'Would you like me to say a prayer to "insert God/Diety/Other here" for you'
Or it may be better if our NHS had pre written scripts for talking to patients, in response to conversations, like our bank call centres in India have.

What a load of twoddle

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I agree....The paramedic who referred to the patient as 'Love' was also lamblasted.
Politiclaly correct my arse...,.say what you mean and mean what you say..free speach is what we were brought up to.
If this lass looses her job because of this I think that her line manager should be ashamed and named.
There may be a few spelling mistakes in this post but I don't give a toss.:rolleyes:

Re: Nurse supended for offering to pray
 

Not quite the same sort of situation Royboy ... was against the rules.

Again, we don't know how strong she was coming on to this patient .. had been handing out prayer cards prior to this. Just imagine if she were handing out political campaigning leaflets and then asking "Can Peter rely on your vote then ?"

My daughter, when going out on community visits, would never impose this offer on a patient. She is far too good a medical professional to not put herself in the role of a spiritual saviour.

Think you have a daughter too in nursing don't you Royboy ? (sorry, if I am wrong, not sure).. perhaps you might ask her opinion on this.

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Yes I have and I will......still think it's a cat chasing headlines that are not warranted.

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You forgot to mention we would have news reports from around the world of Muslims burning Union Jacks and threatening us with young children wearing bombs.

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I think you're exaggerating somewhat there, Neil. I would've thought with Palestine, Iraq etc, they've far more things to protest about.

However, maybe I see things in a different light because, unlike many on here, I don't subscribe to the Sun/Daily Mail "they're waiting to take over the country" philosophy! :rolleyes:

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That is because you are an infidel :p :D

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I know, I know, but we all have our cross to bear. ;)

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Asked my daughter if she had any opinion, this was her reply :D

"Haven't read about it and don't know about it.
I do remember though one nurse I trained with who was a born again Christian telling a patient she would pray for him just before he went to theatre
Scared the bloke witless and he refused to go down for his op as he thought he was going to die.
Took us ages to reassure him
x "

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The gang from Utah and the Watchtower crew. Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses

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To be quite honest, I've had more than my fair share of hospital stays, and if your poorly enough you don't give a damn what people say or do, in fact I'm quite thankful for any help possible, be it from on or above this earth, all contributions are gratefully accepted than you:rolleyes:

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I'm with you Jaysay.......We are so over-run with qualified nurses in this country we are drafting girls in from China, and other far flung places.....but we can afford to put this womans job on the line for something so petty......she didn't offer to pray for a muslim...but if she did, would that be such a crime? A prayer is a prayer in any religion, and as long as it is done with good intent I can see no harm in it.

The old lady who was offered the prayer(and declined it) did not feel offended and did NOT complain.....it was another carer who visited her the next day who decided that this competent Nurse had done something wrong.......so who died and left this other person as King?

If I was offered a prayer by a committed Christian,(or a religious person of any faith) I would not see it as them trying to convert me, or evangelise.......I would see it as another human being who was compassionate enough to think about me outside of a work setting.

As a retired nurse I can tell you there have been many many times when my thoughts have gone out to sick patients, and their families too.
Illness is worrying, being in hospital is worrying....to know that someone is thinking of you and wishing you well can do no harm.......and scientific surveys have proved(against all the odds) that being prayed for has a beneficial effect on the sick.

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i dont see the difference between thinking about them and praying for them, if you dont believe in god then isnt that all they are doing?

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I was going to make the point that thinking about someone, is akin to praying for them, but I reckoned that some folk may not agree that there is a similarity.

I do not belong to any religious organisation, but I do recognise that faith is a great support during times of trouble.
What I tell folk is, that I work like it is all up to me to sort things out, but pray for a little help and understanding from the 'greater being'......or God if you believe.

It seems to me that Christianity is just as demonised as some of the other lesser religions these days.......and that people almost apologise for holding Christian beliefs.
We have become so touchy (socially) that we cannot see that there is room for all colours of opinion without getting nasty....and institutions like the police force and the NHS are just about the worst. It is Ok to be muslim, jewish, jain or whatever...have your religion catered for, but show your Christian faith and somehow you become an evangelising bigot.

If I had been that nurse in question, I would have prayed for the woman and not even mentioned it...it would have worked just as well.

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I agree with you Margaret, as an ex nurse, tell the tale of Florence Nightingale and her beginnings, she prayed for and with her injured soldiers.

Funnily enought the patient only "mentioned it in passing toT the Nurses collegue, and it was her collegue " normally referred to as work mate" who did the dirty ded.

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They're exactly the ones I'm on about and they're Christians of sorts. As for the nurse in question, if she offered to pray for me, I'd accept. Whether you believe or not, it can't do any harm, just in case... ;) Reckon the person who reported her is a saddo who should get a life.

However, I still maintain that if this had been a Muslim or a Hindu or a Sikh nurse who'd done the same thing, there'd be a whole series of posts on here bristling with indignation..."this is a Christian country, they're trying to impose their culture on us" blah, blah, blah. :rolleyes:

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I don't think it's anything to do with the p.c. brigade, or freedom of speech, after all a persons beliefs are a fragile part of humanity, if I believe in one thing and you believe in another there should be mutual respect.

If a patient is treated by an atheist or a member of Gods community then their beliefs should be respected by the person administering care, it is not the Nurses duty to force her beliefs onto the patient even if she, (the nurse), is doing it for what she considers to be the best reasons, the patient is in a vulnerable position and has his/her human rights or freedom of opinion to be cared for as well.

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I agree with you Less, but from how I read the story the nurse in question was not forcing her beliefs on anyone......I read it as the nurse was just showing care and compassion...not compromising the lady's human rights, or disrespecting her in any way.

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That is absolutely stupid.

What the nurse did is no different than saying 'I wish you well' after all, wishes are in the same category as prayers, nothing more than faith and hope and the likes.

Some people are just unbelievably ungrateful. I'd be quite touched if someone cared enough about my health to do that. It's not like it is going to harm anyone by doing so.

I'm disgusted that someone would report that.

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Exactly. If I was lying in a hospital bed with a less than 50/50 chance of living and someone offered to pray for me I certainly wouldn't take offence, whether they were praying to Allah, God or the panopticon up Hud Rake in Haslingden. The person who reported this nurse is as daft as Adrian Chiles, but that's another matter.

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It now appears that this nurse has been told she can resume work, about time to, should never have been suspended in the first place.

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spot on Jaysay!

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thats the whole "Crux" of this affair, from what i have read or can gather, forcing beliefs was not the case, theres a world of difference between that n compassion.

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Can't agree with you there Jaysay, pleased she has been re-instated, but think it was well worth the investigation. They have called it off only due to pressure from the public.

The patient, although she did not report it officially, did feel the need to mention to another nurse, so must have been a little more than just offering a prayer, as she was concerned would upset other patients.

This quote from the nurse says it all to me ... :rolleyes:

'Mrs Petrie has always insisted that she has never forced her beliefs on anyone.
The Baptist, who became a Christian ten years ago after her mother died, said her supplications had real effects on patients, including a Catholic woman whose urine infection cleared up days after she said a prayer.'

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Hmmm, Mrs Petrie?

When she cured the bladder infection she must have been working on a different culture than what the Petri dishes are usually used for!
:D

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No patient complained kate, it was other puratanical nosy dogooders that did that, I would agree if a patient had objected but seeing they didn't what case had she to answer in the first place, there are far more important things need sorting out in the NHS never mind going on unnecessary witch hunts

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Well, Jaysay, there are some interesting remarks coming from her in the last report :-

'It's very difficult for me not to ask patients if they want me to pray for them when I feel that prayer works for the sick. It's a matter of conscience to me. I should not have to choose between being a Christian or being a nurse.'

Don't think she will stop despite this incident .. and almost holding the authority to a type of blackmail.

NHS staff face the sack if they discuss religion with patients (please don't tell St Bart, St Thomas etc) | Mail Online

Anyway, who keeps changing my name in quotes ? :D
Methinks you have hidden depths we should know about Jaysay.

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Surprise, surprise, she has now admitted live on the News that she will not give up this practice of offering prayer ... silly cow.

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if thats the case then yea ...silly cow.:rolleyes: will always give folk benefit of doubt. when they shoot themselves stuff em cretins.

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Sorry kate, when I run my spell check it changes katex to latex, I usually change it back, but must have forgot this time, again sorreeeeeeee:o

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I actually think that she's pushing it a tad now, can't defend her if she does it again, she would be pure stupid

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I'm sure there are more people who have accepted her offer than declined it for finding it offensive.

Nice to see someone with a bit of conviction. There are people all over the world who are segregated and punished for doing things like speaking when they aren't spoken to, singing, dancing and so on and we'd praise them for asserting their right to do these things which don't harm people.

Good on her for offering her prayers, I think it's nice.

Of course I'm a Catholic though so what would I know :p