Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSCrucifix ban 'violated Christian nurse's faith'
A Christian nurse claiming she was discriminated against by her employer has told a tribunal that removing her crucifix would violate her faith.
Shirley Chaplin said she was moved to a paperwork role by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital, which she accuses of trying to “ridicule” her religion.
The trust claims it was motivated by health and safety concerns about patients grabbing necklaces.
In a 71-point statement, Mrs Chaplin, who wore the crucifix to the tribunal in her home city of Exeter, said she was “personally convicted” to wear the emblem, given to her as a confirmation gift in 1971.
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In one of the points, she said: “I have been a nurse for roughly 30 years and throughout that time I have worn my crucifix. The crucifix is an exceptionally important expression of my faith and my belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. To deliberately remove or hide my crucifix or to treat it disrespectfully would violate my faith.”
There were at least four reasons why it was so important, she told the tribunal. Firstly, to remind her of Jesus’s dying on the cross to remove her sins.
Secondly, it helped her identify with Jesus, thirdly, it was part of her identity, and fourthly it acted as “motivation”.
She started working for the trust continuously in 1989, being made a grade D nurse in 1994, and promoted to an E grade nurse on 2001.
The case will continue for an estimated six days before judgment is expected to be handed down.
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Readers' comments (15)
Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 12:53 pm
All these issues this nurse puts forward are her beliefs and therefore her problem.
If the policy being contested is one of no necklaces then her religion has no baring at all on this. If she can't do her job without waering a necklace then maybe she should look for employment somewhere where she can.
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Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 1:11 pm
I quite agree with the previous comment.
Her belief is her own business. There is no stimpulation within the christian faith that christians should wear a cross; it is her personal desire to wear it. I accept there are some religions where certain dress codes etc are demanded and I can generally accept that, but htis is different.
If her faith is that important to her, surely she should find a job where she could wear her crucifix without any issues - effectively she is making herself unemployed; it's nothing to do with religion, it's just her being stubborn. If I felt the need to wear a fireman's helmet to work to show my support to our colleagues in the emergency service I'm sure someone would have something to say about it!
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Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 2:00 pm
If she has been wearing the crucifix for 30 years as a nurse, without problems, why is it suddenly a problem? Has someone with an anti-religious grudge stirred up trouble?
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Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 6:59 pm
i think it is absolutly disgusting that a christian can not wear a symbol of her religon what happend to respecting a person and treating someone holistically does this not include the staff then is there no respect for the christian faith! if this was any other faith this would not be an issue so why is it that the christian faith is persicuted and anyone who beleives in it is too. I do not wear a cross to work but i dont beleive a good nurse should be persecuted for choosing too.
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Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 7:42 pm
What has become of nursing we seem to forget we are actually at work to care for our patients. This woman has been in the profession for 30 years so she of all people should know what the policy states.The trust did the right thing.
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Anonymous | 31-Mar-2010 8:03 pm
Yes she knows what the policy says but is the wearing of this crucifix a hinderance to her providing nursing care. If she had worn it around her wrist and this prevented her decontaminating her hands correctly then by all means make an issue of it. Nursing has probably lost a kind and caring practitioner thrown into a desk job that she hates and she will probably retire sooner than if she continued to care for her patients in the way she has been trained to do so. Note that Bare below the elbows has been reviewed to suit our Muslim colleagues
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Roger Hodgson | 1-Apr-2010 10:55 am
The NHS and Nurses in general treat all our patients and their family members with equal courtesy and respect regardless of their; wealth, colour, ethnicity, religious beliefs, height, shape or weight or intellect.
It is time we offered the same courtesy to our colleagues.
I suggest to the politically correct, none medical drones who sit seemingly comatosed in their cloud cuckoo land offices, that they turn their rather questionable and blatantly overpaid talents to putting the NHS backon its feet, not creating further restrictive and contentious problems for an ailing service which is surviving on the: good will, skills and dedication of its persecuted front line staff.
As I have posted previously: People lacking medical knowledge, ie: failed businessmen, accountants and political sycophants should be excluded from any involvement in the running of the NHS.
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Debbie Davies | 2-Apr-2010 10:33 am
I am sorry but as nurse who began working in the mid 80's it has always been against my dress code to wear a necklace. In fact in a book entitled First Year Nursing Manual from 1942 it states ornaments or jewellery are forbidden to ensure cleanliness and this from an era when a nurse was expected to be religious and attend church and they didnt wear their crucufixes. But as I stated earlier never in any of the hospitals I have worked have I been allowed to wear jewellery and yes I agree with the hospital it can be grabbed by patients and cause injury.
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will johnson | 2-Apr-2010 10:42 am
I find it of great interest that beleivers of the Christian faith who wish to wear a crucifix have to remove them or suffer sanction, yet why do we not have the same problem for those who wear Turbans and don't shave because of their religion. Will we next be insisting those with medical alert necklaces remove them also as they might be a risk.
Should we be insisting that all nurses have shaved heads in case the patient pulls their hair?????? The risk to a nurses neck from having the chain pulled is minute and if their neck is so weak to be damaged by such an incident they are not medically fit for their role.
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Anonymous | 2-Apr-2010 11:13 am
Why don`t people just get on with the job and adhere to the policies set out to meet the greatest good of patients and staff. The fight with employers over such a matter is a complete waste of time and money. If a nurse cannot nurse without a necklace that itself is of concern.
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Anonymous | 2-Apr-2010 6:37 pm
Why does she have to wear the crucifix around her neck anyway? Who is she trying to impress her christianity on anyway? If, as she said it was so imprtant for her to have this constant reminder of her beliefs, then why not take it off prior to starting work and slip it in a pocket?
In a number of jobs that I have held (not just the NHS), policy has stated that the wearing of necklaces was not allowed. I respect that, why should she be made the exception?
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Anonymous | 3-Apr-2010 10:11 am
The trust that i work in has adapted their uniform policy to comply with all religious aspects of the work force. We wear wedding rings and other religions wear necklaces to show their religious bond between two people. What is the problem with wearing a crusifix as long as the adapted uniform policy is adheered too.
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Bernard Stevenson | 5-Apr-2010 10:55 am
Yes, I do agree with the policy of not wearing any jewellery while at work. I doubt if a necklace can post danger of being pulled then nurses should not use ear studs or even a wedding band. I can only sypathise with the poor nurse who has been wictim of cheap thinking of nhs boss
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Martin Gray | 9-Apr-2010 0:15 am
I find some of the comments on this post incredulous! One could argue here that the human rights of this nurse are being denied. I've seen nurses, both male and female, wearing piercings through the nose and ear without being harrassed in this way! In fact management have been afraid to bring them to task in fear of legal proceedings being brought against them.
A neck chain used to support a crucifix is usually very thin and easily broken; provided it was tucked into the uniform and out of sight why the furore? I could understand if it was a tick 'chav' gold link chain, but I doubt very much this was the case.
I agree totally with Roger here; we make allowances for other faiths except those deemed as Christian. Are we not supposed to be a democratic society with freedom of speech and self expression? Or is that just when it suits the PC brigade? Even our religeous holidays and festivities are being challenged nowadays as 'they may cause offence to other religeons' just like the old Robinsons jam 'emblem' (can't put the word in print as I would no doubt be accussed of being racist) or some of the old nursery rhyms.
The post about the new guidelines on 'bare above the elbow' has infuriated me enough; where has the common sense gone in our profession? Has it been eroded by the need to further our academic levels of training in the cause of having the profession recognised??
Rings can be caught in bedsides, hoists, etc. so are we all to remove our wedding bands as well? Even patients going to theatre for surgery are allowed to keep them on, even if they have to be taped, so justify that for me.
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Anonymous | 21-Sep-2010 10:30 am
Before the NHS Christianity was a by-word for care, respect and dignity for all hunmankind, before these values became PC. It is a pity a little cross to remind Christans of the values we all work hard to offer together, to each and every user, subjects a colleague to such treatment. One piece of tape or a slighltly shorter chain, and any potential, even for the most stringent Health and Safety concerns are solved. Free and without prejudice.
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