A veteran Birmingham nurse has been permanently removed from the nursing register after a professional conduct panel found she shared a series of racist and inflammatory posts on Facebook.
Career Ended by Social Media Misconduct
Roberta Batchelor, whose nursing career spanned nearly 45 years, was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The decisive action followed an investigation into offensive material she posted on her personal Facebook account in August 2024.
Mrs Batchelor was working as a ward manager for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust at the time. The Trust initiated an inquiry after receiving a complaint from a member of the public on 5 August 2024.
Details of the Offensive Facebook Posts
The NMC panel reviewed multiple posts shared by Mrs Batchelor. The content included:
- An image of a boat filled with people arriving at a beach, captioned: "these give nothing and get everything."
- A picture of a homeless veteran with the text: "these give everything and get nothing."
- A photograph of a child being chased by men, one holding a knife, with the caption: "Next time when you pay your taxes, remember some of your money goes for the 'Protection of Mosques.'"
- A split image contrasting a security inspection labelled "YOU AT THE AIRPORT" with a man departing from a boat labelled "MUHAMMAD AT DOVER."
She also shared a highlighted section from the Book of Deuteronomy discussing foreigners gaining power.
Apology and Panel's Final Decision
During the investigation, Mrs Batchelor admitted to making the posts and apologised. She stated she was "disgusted" with herself, explaining her anger was triggered by government policies affecting pensioners. She acknowledged being caught up in national "uprisings" and noted her own family are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Despite her remorse and previously unblemished record, which saw her rise from a cleaner to a ward manager and win a 'Pride of Nursing' award in 2015, the panel determined removal was essential.
The NMC concluded that striking her off was "necessary to protect the public" and to mark the seriousness of the misconduct. The order was also intended to uphold public confidence in the profession and send a clear message about the standards of behaviour required of a registered nurse.
