The Emotional Toll of Being a Black Nurse, Midwife, Support Worker or Doctor and Constantly Treated Like a Threat

Anika Ola
3 minutes ago
4 min read

A Win — But At What Cost?

Imagine this.

You’re called on your day off. You’re exhausted, but you say yes because patients need you.

You arrive at a unit you’ve never set foot in before. There is no handover. No clinical support. No backup. Just you. One registered nurse. Twenty-eight residents, many with dementia and complex health needs.

You do what nurses always do: you step in, you hold the chaos together, you do your best.

And then, when something goes wrong, you’re not thanked. You’re not supported. You’re reported.

On 1 September 2025, this nurse a Black, internationally educated woman finally had the Interim Conditions of Practice Order (ICoPO) against her revoked in full at an NMC review hearing.

She is now free to practise again. But the damage was already done. Months of fear. Months of stigma. Months of being treated as a risk to the public when in reality, she was abandoned by her employer and failed by the system.

The Referrer: Grappenhall Manor Care Centre

The ordeal began with a referral from Grappenhall Manor Care Centre, a private provider in Warrington, Cheshire. On the surface, Grappenhall looks impressive: a purpose-built luxury care home with sweeping lounges, landscaped gardens, a hair salon, even a cinema. Marketing materials describe it as offering “exceptional residential, dementia, nursing, and respite care in a five-star environment.

But behind the glossy brochures lies a different reality

On the night in question, one nurse our member was left to shoulder the responsibility for 28 residents, many with advanced dementia, complex nursing needs, and high dependency. The building is vast, spread across multiple units. Yet she was sent into an unfamiliar wing. Alone. Without handover. Without access to clinical leadership. Without even a colleague to check in. These residents are not “numbers.” They are people who need regular medication rounds, assistance with continence care, close observation for agitation or distress, and timely interventions for seizures, infections, or falls. Every nurse knows: this is not safe for one person to manage.

Still, instead of asking why she was left unsupported, Grappenhall Manor Care Centre chose sack her the very next day and to report her to the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Disclosure and Barring Service DBS.

The “Concern”

The referral accused her of mismanaging a seizure and failing to escalate.

But here’s the truth: She acted in good faith. She called 111. The call was transferred directly to 999. She followed the chain, under immense pressure, with limited information, and with no support around her. Still, her employer’s version of events was taken at face value.

No context. No fairness. Just escalation.

It Wasn’t an Isolated Case

This was not the first time she had been targeted. She had already been dismissed from another major provider Barchester Healthcare under disturbingly similar circumstances.

She is now pursuing an Employment Tribunal claim against them, raising issues of:

Racially motivated disciplinary action.
Double standards compared to white colleagues.
A disregard for fair procedure.

The pattern is clear: unsafe workplaces, disproportionate scrutiny, and systemic failures that weigh heaviest on Black nurses, midwives support workers and Doctors.

The Panel’s Conclusion

When the NMC panel reviewed the case, they didn’t just revoke the order. They dismantled the narrative that had held her down for months.

They found:

No current risk to the public.
No evidence of repetition.
No grounds for restriction.
A clear willingness to engage, reflect, and learn.
Contextual pressures that were beyond her control.

It was obvious. She should never have been restricted in the first place.

What We Said at Equality 4 Black Nurses, we argued what should have been clear from day one:

The referral was disproportionate.
The nurse acted with professional integrity, not neglect.
There was no evidence of ongoing concern.
The workplace itself was unsafe and unsupported.
The conditions of practice had become punishment, not protection.

The CQC’s “Good” Rating Safe for Who?

In February 2024, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected Grappenhall Manor Care Centre. Their verdict? “Good.” They praised staffing. They praised leadership. They praised safety.

But here is the truth:

The night our member was scapegoated, she was left alone with 28 residents. She had no handover. No support. No backup.

How does that square with “safe staffing”?

The CQC never asked about the treatment of staff. They never investigated how Black and internationally educated nurses are left unsupported and then blamed.

Their lens stops at residents. But when staff are abandoned, residents are already unsafe.

This is how racism hides in plain sight.Institutions get glowing inspection reports. Black nurses get regulatory referrals. The system protects itself, not the people within it.

Call to Action

Have you worked for Grappenhall Manor or Barchester Healthcare?

We want to hear from Black and racialised nurses who have:

Been referred to the NMC by these providers.
Been dismissed without clear justification.
Been treated differently to white colleagues during investigations.

Call our support line: 0208 0502598

More info: www.equality4blacknurses.com

Final Reflection

What happened to our member could happen to any of us.

You do your best. You step in when asked. And still, you become the risk.

This is how racism lives in regulation: not through open hatred but through silence, through processes, through inspection reports that protect institutions and punish individuals.

She deserved safety. She deserved support. Instead, she got conditions of practice.

Now revoked — but not forgotten.

Let this be a warning to the systems that failed her, and a lifeline to those still navigating it alone:

Equality 4 Black Nurses. We don’t just support. We defend.