Hospital worker in crucifix row leaves job

A WOMAN at the centre of the crucifix row with Gloucestershire Royal Hospital has left her job.

Helen Slatter, 43, hit the headlines when she revealed she had been warned to remove her crucifix necklace while at work.

Helen, a devout Christian, was told she could carry the religious symbol in her pocket, but that it represented a health and safety risk if worn on a necklace.

Now Helen, of Baneberry Road, Robinswood, has walked away from her job as a phlebologist, collecting blood from patients in wards across the hospital..

She said: "They made it clear that if I went back the hospital would send me home if I was wearing my crucifix.

"I am not willing to stop wearing it, so I have been left with no choice but to leave my job.

Helen attended a disciplinary meeting regarding the crucifix late last month.

"They say it is NHS policy, and made it clear that they would not allow me to wear it at all.

"I have been approached by a solicitor who has offered to represent me if I want to take the matter further, But I'm not sure.

"At the end of the day, they are the NHS and aren't going to back down, so I'm not going to get my job back.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure if I'd want to work somewhere where I had been treated like this anyway."

Helen, who has worked there for almost five years, attends St Peter's Catholic Church in London Road.

She added: "I still find it hard to believe everything that has happened.

"I had worked there for five years without ever having a problem at all."

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed she had put in her notice but declined to comment further.