An ex-NHS nurse who sparked outrage by saying Tory voters ‘don’t deserve to be resuscitated’ on live TV has been removed from the nursing register.
Miranda Hughes, from Hampshire, was fired from her private job after making the comments during a debate on Jeremy Vine‘s Channel 5 show ‘Britain on The Brink’ last October.
But Ms Hughes quickly backtracked on her remark, telling MailOnline at the time it was made in the ‘heat of the moment’.
Speaking outside her £500,000 home in Odiham, she insisted she would ‘never not resuscitate anyone’.
Ms Hughes was initially referred to the regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), after concerns were raised over her fitness to practise following the remarks.
Miranda Hughes (pictured), from Hampshire, was fired from her private job after making the comments during a debate on Jeremy Vine ‘s Channel 5 show ‘Britain on The Brink’ last October
Ms Hughes quickly backtracked on her remark, telling MailOnline at the time it was made in the ‘heat of the moment’. Speaking outside her £500,000 home in Odiham, she insisted she would ‘never not resuscitate anyone’. The mum-of-one, voluntarily contacted the register last month in the hope of being removed. Pictured, Ms Hughes with her husband and daughter
Two separate social media posts were also assessed, including one in July 2021 that reportedly said: ‘Priti Patel and her Tory cronies are evil. I hope karma comes for them.’
Another made in December 2021 is stated to have read: ‘F*** you Boris Johnson, f*** you #PMQs.’
But no allegations have yet to actually be ‘substantively proved’ by an NMC committee, the regulator said.
Ms Hughes, a mother, voluntarily contacted the register in July in the hope of being removed.
The panel accepted Ms Hughes’ request concluding that ‘public interest is served’ by her ‘immediate removal’ from the register.
They acknowledged she ‘no longer intends to work as a registered nurse’.
Ms Hughes now works in the hospitality sector as an administrator.
The NMC also said the allegations made were ‘not so serious as to be fundamentally incompatible with continued registration’.
In a decision letter seen by Guido Fawkes, they acknowledged there is ‘no reason’ to believe that Ms Hughes would ‘deliberately cause harm to patients as a result of their political views’.
The NMC also noted she had not received any other previous concerns of ‘a similar nature’, when she practised as a nurse.
The regulatory body said: ‘Nurses, midwives and nursing associates may put their registration at risk if they act unprofessionally.
‘Making comments of this nature on television and social media is a serious concern and can undermine the public’s confidence in the profession.’
Under the NMC code of conduct, nurses, midwives and nursing associates must use all forms of spoken, written and digital communication — including social media — ‘responsibly’.
All nurses and midwives practising in the UK must be registered with the NMC.
Ms Hughes’ comments on Tory voters were branded ‘disgusting’ and ‘bigoted’ at the time by social media users.
They came after she explained her decision to quit the NHS for the private sector, telling the show: ‘I could not handle the emotional stress of not being able to deliver for my patients.
‘When you sign up to be a nurse, you sign up to put the patient at the forefront of everything you do.
‘You are squeezed to the point where you cannot treat people, the way you need to treat them.
‘And it eats you up, because you are there to do a job as a compassionate person, but there are no resources.’
Growing in anger as she spoke, she then said: ‘And you are told consistently on the news that care homes are being ring-fenced, but it’s a lie.
‘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.’
Asked if she meant what she said by host Jeremy Vine, she replied: ‘No, of course I would, of course I would.
‘But it is appalling the way we have been treated. All nurses have been slapped in the face.’
In an interview with MailOnline a day after appearing on Channel 5, she confirmed she was contacted by her employer soon after the clip went viral and told she was being fired for breaching her contract as a rehabilitation case manager with south London-based firm HCML
Ms Hughes was initially referred to the regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), following concerns over her fitness to practise after making the remark. But no allegations have yet to actually be ‘substantively proved’ by an NMC committee, the regulator said
She worked for south London-based private healthcare and rehabilitation provider, HCML, when she appeared on the Channel 5 show. The company issued a statement on Twitter, following the programme (pictured)
In an interview with MailOnline the following day, she confirmed she was contacted by her employer soon after the clip went viral.
She said she had been told she was being fired for breaching her contract as a rehabilitation case manager with south London-based firm HCML.
The company also issued a statement on Twitter following the show, which said: ‘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.’
Speaking to MailOnline on October 5 outside her home, Ms Hughes said she deserved to be fired for the ‘ridiculous’ comment that led to her being vilified as a ‘monster’.
She also admitted she regretted the comments and ‘would never not resuscitate anyone’.
Ms Hughes added: ‘I said what I said in the heat of the moment. I was very angry and should not have said what I did, but I was so angry that it just got the better of me.
‘I do regret what I said and of course I would never not resuscitate anyone. I would not even know their political beliefs. I have treated people from mayor’s the lowest in society.’
Ms Hughes said: ‘I should not have said what I said. It was a ridiculous thing to say, it really was.
‘I underestimated how people will take something and run with it. Unfortunately, they are misdirecting their anger.
‘I retracted what I said immediately and driving home I just thought to myself what have I done?’