A London NHS Trust has settled a discrimination case with a Catholic chaplain who was ousted for answering questions from a patient on a psychiatric ward about the Church’s teaching on marriage.
In response to a complaint made against Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino, Vanessa Ford, the acting chief executive of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, Vanessa Ford, asserted that the trust’s policy on equality and diversity “takes precedence over religious belief”.
She has now accepted that “on reflection” her letter should have been “phrased differently” as “religion and belief is afforded exactly the same rights as the other eight protected characteristics”.
She also assured Fr Pullicino that “there was no suggestion that the Trust felt you had told the patient that he would go to hell”, as the complainant had alleged.
Fr Pullicino, 73, who had a distinguished career in the NHS as a consultant neurologist before he was ordained a priest in 2019, claimed he was subsequently bullied out of the chaplaincy role and told “he had no rights”.
With the support of the Christian Legal Centre, he sued the trust for harassment, religious discrimination, and victimisation.
The hearing was set to take place in July 2023 at Croydon Employment Tribunal but the trust has now settled the case by awarding him £10,000 in compensation “for perceived injury to feelings”.
The figure falls within the middle band of Vento guidelines for “serious” cases of discrimination, according to the Christian Legal Centre
Rev Dr Pullicino, who a decade ago blew the whistle on the abuses carried out under the Liverpool Care Pathway, said he was “pleased and relieved” by the outcome.
He said a government inquiry was urgently needed, however, because it was necessary to “expose the NHS’s disturbing approach to the standard expression of Christian beliefs”.
Fr Pullicino said: “The documented downgrading of Christian belief by the chief executive undermines not only her NHS trust but also all the patients under her care as well as the chaplains of different faiths that she employs.
“There is a tendency throughout the NHS to force their patients to accept generic ‘spiritual’ care instead of giving support for their Christian beliefs. Christian faith is particularly important in sickness, particularly when in danger of death.
“Limiting this is inhumane, in addition to being outside the law. Good, religion-specific chaplaincy support is under threat in the NHS but is essential in all hospitals. A government inquiry is urgently needed into restoring hospital chaplaincy to its rightful place.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said it was “time to see an end to the ideology of equality and diversity riding roughshod over the Christian faith and treating it with such little respect”.
She added that Fr Pullicino’s ordeal revealed how “NHS chaplains risk punishment for responding to questions on human sexuality with standard biblical teaching”.
“They live under pressure to self-censor, affirm at all costs, or face the consequences. This has to change,” she said.
“We will continue to defend and contend to keep chaplains at the heart of our public institutions.”
A decade ago, the then Professor Pullicino was serving as consultant neurologist for East Kent University Hospital NHS Trust when he became one of the most senior medics to blow the whistle on abuses of patients under the Liverpool Care Pathway, an end-of-life care protocol abolished as a “national disgrace” in 2014.
He was accepted as a candidate for priestly ordination after he retired from the NHS and now serves as assistant priest at St Bede’s Church in Clapham Park, London,
The complaint against him followed a conversation which took place in August 2019 when the patient asked to go for a walk outside with Fr Pullicino. They were accompanied by another member of staff.
In a 20-minute discussion the patient revealed his intention to marry his boyfriend, and asked the opinion of the priest.
The priest answered: “What do you think God would say to you about this?”
Fr Pullicino says he was not properly informed of the nature of the complaint but in a letter which followed, Ms Ford alleged that he told the patient “you should not be with your husband” and “that you would go to hell”, accusations which the priest strongly denied.
Fr Pullicino sought clarification on whether an investigation had been launched and was notified that the complaint had been resolved informally, but that he must take an equality and diversity course.
A letter from the Head Chaplain said: “The complaint we discussed in our meeting … is a formal complaint and as a matter of Trust policy this will be retained and kept on a central record for complaints.
“The meeting between us to discuss the complaint is a sufficient outcome provided the actions and discussion we had is carried out. As a result there is no right of appeal.”
Fr Pullicino denied that he had behaved in any way which could be construed as “homophobic” but agreed to undertake the course out of good will.
When he was later dismissed on budget grounds he volunteered to continue to serve without payment as he was the only Catholic chaplain on site.
But he received an email from the Trust saying: “I need you to know that you are currently not authorised to visit the wards or saying mass [sic] as you are not currently under any terms and conditions or insurance. This will stand until and unless we have agreed in writing for you to have an on-going role in the Trust.”