First UK Healthcare Professional Struck Off For Covid Denial Activities

My colleague recently wrote about a fitness to practise decision from Ireland, where an interim order of suspension was imposed on a doctor who describes Covid-19 as a hoax and who doesn't use PPE, administer vaccines or test patients with suspected Covid-19.

We have now seen what is believed to be the first UK fitness to practise decision arising from Covid denial – one issued last month by The Nursing and Midwifery Council (“NMC”). 

The registrant in this case, Kay Shemirani, was a registered nurse and independent prescriber of many years’ experience who had a significant social media following. Following the onset of the pandemic, Ms Shemirani established herself as a leading anti-lockdown activist, denying the existence of Covid-19 and warning against use of vaccines. She promoted her social media accounts under the title “Kate Shemirani – Natural Nurse in a Toxic World”, sometimes appeared in her nursing uniform and routinely described herself as a “registered nurse, independent nurse, prescriber”. Ms Shemirani advised her followers that the Covid-19 pandemic was “a scam” and attributed Covid-19 symptoms to 5G technology. She also encouraged the public not to wear facemasks, social distance or get vaccinated. In particular, Ms Shemirani stated that vaccines were “rushed though” because “they want to kill you” and asserted “I am a nurse, I don’t agree with the vaccines anymore because I know what’s in them”. Ms Shemirani described the NHS as “murdering patients” and “genocidal” during the pandemic and made comparisons between nurses in the UK and those who operated in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.

From March 2020 onwards, the NMC received a significant number of complaints from nurses, other healthcare professionals and members of the public regarding Ms Shemirani’s activities. This caused the NMC to commence a fitness to practise investigation and, in view of the perceived gravity of the issues, impose an interim order of suspension on Ms Shemirani’s NMC registration. 

Ms Shemirani did not engage with the NMC process or provide any response to the allegations. However, the evidence placed before the NMC Panel at her final hearing in May 2021 included 40 media files demonstrating her interviews on national media and appearances at Covid-19 protests.   

The NMC Panel found it proved that Ms Shemirani had made comments which were both “contrary to official health advice and/or the law” and “inflammatory and derogatory” and that she had done so with the intention of promoting health advice contrary to official health advice, encouraging members of the public to distrust and/or disregard official health advice, encouraging members of the public to distrust and/or disregard other nurses and/or healthcare professionals and encouraging members of the public to act contrary to the law.

The Panel found that Ms Shemirani’s conduct “fell seriously short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and amounted to misconduct” and determined that “other members of the nursing profession, and indeed, the general public, would find Mrs Shemirani’s behaviour utterly distasteful, deeply chilling and deplorable”. In particular, the Panel highlighted that Ms Shemirani had used her registered title as a nurse to promote “her own distorted version of the truth… used conspiracy theories to sway public opinion against official health advice, thereby putting the public at significant risk of harm during a pandemic”. The Panel noted that Ms Shemirani’s comments amounted to “a serious breach of the trust placed in her” as a registered nurse.   

In terms of impairment, the Panel noted that Ms Shemirani maintained her position and had not reflected on the seriousness or consequences of her actions. In the absence of any insight, remorse or remediation, a finding of impairment was made on grounds of both public protection and public interest. The Panel concluded that “public confidence in the profession would be seriously undermined if a finding of impairment was not made”.

Finally, turning to sanction, the Panel determined that a caution order, conditions of practice or suspension would fail to sufficiently address the seriousness of the case. The Panel had particular regard to the impact of Ms Shemirani’s conduct “in bringing the profession into disrepute by adversely affecting the public’s view of how a registered nurse should conduct herself”. Therefore,  the Panel concluded that a striking-off order was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction.

It is sad to see a long and productive nursing career brought to an end in this manner. However, striking off is the most common outcome in circumstances where a healthcare professional does not engage with their regulatory body during fitness to practise proceedings.  Please contact me or another member of Brabners’ Professional Discipline Team should you wish to discuss any fitness to practise matter.