Victory for Christian nurse

A theatre nurse who lost her job after refusing to remove her small cross pendant has won her unfair dismissal claim against the hospital trust.

Mary Onuoha, a Catholic, had worn the necklace since the start of her employment with Croydon Health Services NHS Trust in 2001. She was first asked to remove it in 2014 but refused on religious grounds.

The trust’s Dress Code and Uniform Policy prohibited wearing necklaces in clinical areas for health and safety reasons, but it had not been enforced. Onuoha came under increasing pressure to remove her necklace. She eventually resigned and claimed constructive dismissal.