An NHS radiographer has been struck off after saying he hoped a colleague was off sick because they “had a brain tumour” caused by wearing his turban too tightly.
Nicholas Whitaker was suspended after telling a different colleague he’d “f****** love it” if the colleague, who had already complained about him, had the serious illness.
Complaints about Mr Whitaker’s behaviour started in February 2020, when he interrupted a conversation about martial arts by saying he thought a junior worker could roundhouse kick his colleague’s turban off.
He apologised to him by “smirking” and “blowing a kiss”, but a year later went on to say he would find it “so funny” if the same colleague was off sick because of a brain tumour caused by the headdress.
A witness told the UK’s Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service: “He said to me ‘have you heard who is off sick?
“I’d fucking love it if he’s gone off sick with a brain tumour or something. I tell you what, I think that’ll be from wearing his turban too tight, wouldn’t that be so funny.’’
Another colleague also alleged Mr Whitaker watched the European Championships football tournament at work in 2021. When challenged about this, he allegedly said: “Ok, well if you’re saying I can’t watch it I’ll f****** ring in sick”.
The colleague then went on to X-ray a male patient with dementia. When asked “are you not giving [her] a hand? He said, ‘Oh she’s alright.’, and carried on watching the football,” the tribunal heard.
“It would have really helped to have Mr Whitaker provide a second pair of hands to get the X-ray machine ready while I was positioning and reassuring the patient,” a colleague said.
Mr Whitaker was suspended by the tribunal for 12 months.
