NHS nurse suspended for asking Father Christmas for ‘our country back’ in racist post
An NHS nurse has been suspended for six months after an investigation uncovered a series of anti-immigrant social media posts, including one asking Santa Claus to “give our country back”.
Emergency room nurse Tina Orbell called Santa Claus racist as part of anti-immigrant posts on her social media accounts.
At least 25 such posts were identified by an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which concluded that her “views on certain races, religions and immigration statuses” would “shock” most people.
The court ruled that Ms Orbell’s public statements could make immigrants “reluctant” to access health care for fear they might be “discriminated against”.
Ms Orbell, who worked in the Emergency Department at Birmingham University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, was reported to the NMC by three colleagues and three members of the public in January and February 2025, leading to an investigation into her conduct.
These included a photo of a house and a poster that read: “Dear Santa, all we really want is to go back to our country.”
Another Christmas-themed post included a cartoon of a white man in a suit kicking a brown man in a white suit and religious hat, with headlines such as: “Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays” and “Antichrist banish the Vermin and close the borders.”
Ms. Orbell commented, “We don’t want you or anyone like you here,” under a misinformation post that included a photo of a Muslim man and said, “Europe is a dirty land, full of infidels. God appointed us as caliphs on earth, so these lands are ours wherever we are. We will take over Europe and establish the law of the Quran and hadith.”
Another post joked: “Due to weather warning, Starmer asks leakers to use canal tunnel.”
Other posts demonized immigrants, refugees and Muslims and accused the UK government of pandering to them.
This included implying that the reason the police were unable to fight crime effectively was because they were “sitting on the floor of the mosque”.
A series of posts showed Ms. Orbell participating in far-right misinformation campaigns.
The NMC investigated the nurse’s posts and found that they amounted to abuse on her part.
Ms Orbell did not acknowledge the posts but wrote in a statement: “I acknowledge that I reposted and commented on inappropriate material on my personal Facebook account, for which I am deeply ashamed and regretful.”
She is now retired from nursing and has no intention of returning.
But a panel from the NMC found that he should be given the chance to reflect and return if he wishes after his six-month suspension.
The statement said: “The panel noted that patients were put at risk of harm due to Ms Orbell’s misconduct.
“It has been assessed that patients may be reluctant to seek treatment in a hospital where a registered nurse shares such views for fear that they may also be discriminated against.
“The panel noted that, based on the evidence before it, some of Ms Orbell’s colleagues were adversely affected by her actions.
“Ms Orbell’s misconduct breached many sections of the NMC Code, particularly in relation to maintaining the reputation of the profession at all times, and in doing so breached the fundamental principles of the nursing profession and thereby brought it into disrepute.
“The panel considered that a well-informed member of the public would be shocked to learn that a registered nurse held such views regarding certain races, religions and immigration status.
“The panel therefore considered that a finding of impairment on public interest grounds was necessary to maintain public confidence in the nursing profession and to maintain appropriate standards of professional conduct and conduct.
“The panel determined that a six-month restraining order was appropriate to indicate the seriousness of the misconduct in this case and to provide Ms. Orbell with the opportunity to continue to develop her insight and take additional steps to strengthen her practice.”
