Discrimination within the NHS
By RD from Zimbabwe

I blacked out at home in July last year and had to be admitted into the local hospital where, unfortunately, I am currently also a student nurse. Two of my colleagues accompanied me, my fellow country colleague knew my diagnosis but the second one did not. As I lay on a trolley in a cubicle in the major section of Accident and Emergency, a nurse and health care assistant came in to take my blood.  The nurse started poking at my veins without gloves and at that point I asked my colleagues to leave and wait in reception. I then disclosed my diagnosis to the nurse as I felt that it was my professional duty to disclose to her. Of course, on the admissions form they had all my details and knew that I was a student nurse within the hospital.  The nurse left me and then a female doctor came to examine me and ended up doing the blood. My blood pressure was very high and the doctor informed me that I had to go for scans and further tests.  After a couple of minutes I heard the doctor and staff discussing me whilst the doctor was filling in the laboratory forms. My door was ajar and someone went on to the phone and spoke very loudly about me being HIV positive and being a student at the hospital and that person was spelling out my name quite loudly into the phone. My friends could hear everything from the reception and when they came into my cubicle, my second colleague took me to task about what I was suffering from.  I was on diuretics since 1991 but never had any severe headaches at all, so I reassured her that it was just blood pressure.  My friend from Zimbabwe then said to me in ‘Shona’ that they had heard every word the doctors were discussing. I was feeling terrible so at this point I just told them to go home.

From my cubicle I could see all the professionals picking out my specimen bottles and tossing them back onto the tray and coming to my cubicle to to have a peek at me.  Because I was too exhausted to even lift my head, I just lay there until the ‘so-called’ Medical team came to examine me and ask more questions comprising of two female and five male doctors. Interestingly Dr X, (pseudonym) of Asian origin had the most to say and wondered where I thought I would work and why did I not consider another profession other than nursing.  I was quite polite at first and told her that the week I started my training was the time I was diagnosed and I had sought advice from occupational health who had advised me to continue with adult nursing if I loved it.

By the time they got me a bed in a different section of the hospital, I had lost count of the number of people who came to pop their heads around my door and say nothing.  I was put in a female ward and nurses from other wards would still come to have a good look at me.  Nurses put on gloves to give me drinks and plain paracetamal which was hilarious at first and then annoying.

I just found the ignorance within the staff absolutely disgusting and appalling. I was left to get my own food from the canteen after I felt hungry on two occasions and the HCA had bluntly told me that they were not a five star hotel. No doctor came to see me for some days and when I asked the staff what was happening they would just wink at each other and laugh and say that they do not know. By that time I really wanted to go home as I knew that the only treatment I was getting was paracetamol and antiretrovirals which I could self administer at home. I was quite tearful and distressed and of course visits from staff from neighbouring wards did not stop.

I called my social worker, my family and HIV specialist team from the Genito-Urinary Medicine clinic to intervene. They were marvellous and came straight away to discuss my case with the team and that is when we were told that a neurosurgeon was supposed to have come and see me since Monday. They had not got a response from him since he is based at Oxford.

On the same day all my fellow female patients were transferred into side rooms or double rooms and when I queried again on what was happening I was told that Sister had endorsed that I stay with male patients that were immediately transferred into the bay.  Are you not wondering about patient autonomy and consent here? This really infuriated me and to make things worse my Asian friend (Doc) came waltzing in one afternoon and said that she really would like to find out about the partner who had infected me, she didn’t have the decency to draw the curtains around us and proceeded to speak in a high, authoritative voice. I told her flatly to leave me alone and that it was not any of her business. She also had a go at me for being stupid to continue with my nursing training. Eventually she left in a huff and my fellow male patients were aghast.

My joy was short-lived as I had a clinical placement on A & E just a month after my spell in hospital. The first person I met on my first day on placement, my friend ‘Dr. X’ having a coffee in the staff room. Immediately she recognised me and greeted me with a smile as If  I was the most precious thing in the world.  The staff room started filling up with staff and my fellow students from my cohort and then she asked me again whether I was feeling alright to work. I answered her that I was fine.  At exactly five to nine, she left the staff room and called one of the senior nurses and told her that she wanted to discuss a serious matter urgently with her. The senior nurse was working in Triage and was extremely busy at that time of the morning.  She insisted that the matter could not wait and intuitively I knew it was me she wanted to discuss.  At this point I was coming out of the staff room to be allocated a mentor and duties by the senior nurse, luckily the member of staff told her that it was none of her business to know who had HIV or not. At 10 o’ clock she again disclosed my status to a male nurse who had come on duty. The male nurse reported the incident to the A & E Consultant and Head of Department. I continued with my work, but was failing to concentrate as I kept on worrying about whom the next person would be to either attack me or confront me. At one o’clock, the A & E Consultant and Head of Department came to the staff and introduced themselves to me and asked if I could pop into the office for a word.

I failed to swallow my sandwiches and drink and tossed them into the bin and followed them into their office. The consultant enquired whether I had an idea as to why they had called me in.  I said yes and told them I had heard Dr X talking with the senior nurse earlier. He then challenged me whether I was HIV positive or not.  I confirmed that it was true and at that point I burst into tears, and all he could do was to give me a glass of water. After I has calmed down, I told him that I was neither ashamed nor embarrassed about my condition and that I am the one living with it and so shall live. The reason for my outburst was through sheer anger.  He stood up and gave me a handshake and told me that I was a very gallant woman and he had never met anyone so honest.  Dr X had been questioned about her lack of confidentiality, and had resigned there and then, accusing the consultant of not supporting her. I also bought it to their attention that this doctor had been abusive during my hospital admission. I reported the matter to the hospital authorities, but I am afraid nothing materialised and union advised on not taking legal action in case it jeopardised my training. I must say the authorities just brushed me off.  The A & E Consultant received disciplinary action for causing Dr X’s resignation.

Sometime later I went to my GP Practice Nurse for a cervical smear.  When she read my notes, she told me she had never done a smear on an HIV patient.  I informed her that there was no difference between me and another patient and the universal, aseptic technique applies to all patients.  She went onto tell me that she would write that I was HIV+ve on the specimen. I just wanted to get out of the surgery at this point, so I got dressed and left!

So you have heard of my experiences working with health professionals, the very people who you expect to have understanding and compassion.  People who should show no discrimination towards people living with HIV.

The thing is we have a long FIGHT and we shall be VICTORIOUS if we have one voice – even with the National Health System.

I have applied for a job at the same hospital and the fight against discrimination continues.