A nurse has been suspended for inappropriate conduct after making a sexually suggestive comment about children while conversing with a colleague, citing it as a joke originally by comedian Ricky Gervais. James Murray reportedly mentioned, “if they can bleed, they can breed,” as per a ruling by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Mr. Murray admitted to making the remark but explained that he was merely repeating a joke he heard from Gervais. Responding to the ruling, Gervais denied ever making such a statement in any of his works or personal interactions.
The incident took place at St Andrews Community Hospital in Fife, Scotland, where Mr. Murray engaged in an inappropriate and unprofessional discussion of a sexual nature involving children with a colleague on July 22, 2022, as stated by the tribunal panel. The conversation occurred in the presence of other colleagues and could have been overheard by patients, with one colleague expressing disgust and distress over the content.
Mr. Murray defended his comment as a misinterpreted joke, stating that neither he nor his colleague were the originators of the joke but were merely repeating or interpreting it. However, the panel’s investigation noted that the conversation went beyond a single joke, involving further sexualized remarks about children.
The panel concluded that regardless of the joke’s origin, Mr. Murray’s use of such language was inappropriate for a professional healthcare setting, demonstrating a serious lack of judgment. The conduct was deemed capable of causing shock and distress to colleagues, posing a risk to the profession’s reputation and falling short of the expected standards for a registered nurse.
Earlier on the same day, Mr. Murray had also displayed inappropriate behavior by swearing and making a rude gesture towards the charge nurse during a discussion on staffing decisions related to Covid-19 protocols. Consequently, Mr. Murray has been suspended for a period of six months.