Nurse wins £25,000 over racist comment

A black nurse whose boss told her to “bleach her skin” so patients would be less abusive towards her has won more than £25,000 after suing the NHS for racial harassment.

Adelaide Kweyama, from South Africa, was an agency nurse between 2017 and 2019. A patient was racially abusive to her while she worked at Heathrow airport, the tribunal in Watford heard. When she told a nurse manager about the incident, the panel heard she was told: “You need to get a pool of bleach to bleach your skin so that you come back tomorrow white and the patient will be nice to you.” She was awarded the payout for racerelated harassment and victimisation.