'Scamdemic' nurse suspended for promoting conspiracy theories during Covid-19 pandemic

A former nurse at Crosshouse Hospital has been suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for promoting conspiracy theories surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine.

Tracey McCallum’s online posts, radio and newspaper interviews had the potential to “undermine public confidence and trust” by “being divisive, creating fear and creating distrust,” according to the nursing regulator.

McCallum, who worked for NHS 24 at the Ayrshire hospital, also breached confidentiality by posting information relating to a patient’s health and information about a work colleague.

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As a result McCallum’s fitness to practise was deemed to be “impaired” by reason of “misconduct,” said the NMC.

She has now been suspended for a period of 12 months with an interim suspension order in place for 18 months. A review of McCallum’s suspension order will take place after 12 months.

In some of her social media posts, published between March 2020 and December 2021, McCallum said: “I for one, am sick of hearing about tests and vaccines. They won’t help any of us if we get seriously unwell and it won’t help my 82-year-old dad.”

In another post she referred to the global pandemic as a ‘scamdemic.’ suggesting “Vaccines are rushed through. And from the amount of folk that have already died from them, yes folk have died, but that’s not on the BBC.”

One other post from McCallum endorsed Dr. Vernon Coleman, who suggested masks are ‘dangerous,’ referencing a post that stated, “Doctors and Nurses Giving the Covid 19 Vaccine Will Be Tried as War Criminals.”

McCallum also endorsed David Icke’s view, claiming that vaccines are ‘dangerous.’

And in another post she had a go at then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, saying: “Jacinda Ardern who I used to think was wonderful. Listen to what she is doing with isolation camps. Again I am sorry but I do feel strongly about everything the government et al are doing all over without any form of challenge. It genuinely terrifies me.”

There were more than 30 social media posts that caused ‘concern’ for the NMC, but McCallum also spoke out publicly on The Richie Allen Show, declaring that ‘masks could make you hypoxic’ or words to that effect.

And on November 16, 2021, when discussing the safety of the vaccine, and whether her view had changed on it being safe/necessary, she stated: “No. I have been listening a lot to Prime Minister's questions and Boris Johnson talking down in parliament and he’d been talking about 18 years and they still haven’t got a vaccine for Sars-Cov1, so I knew straight away there was no chance that they would get one safe for this.”

On the Shelley Tasker Cornwall Revolution Show, when discussing her post regarding a vaccine, she confirmed that she had posted, ‘giving the vaccine without proper testing is as good as genocide, like the holocaust, and that is what they had nurses doing in the holocaust’, or words to that effect.

In correspondence to the NMC, McCallum, a nurse since 2002, said she was “exercising her freedom of speech” in relation to her views.

McCallum had also used a ‘first name’ in referring to a patient in one of her posts and was adjudged to have committed a “breach of confidentiality” in that respect and in respect of a work colleague.

The NMC said in their 46-page report into the case that the charges found proved ‘did not relate’ to Miss McCallum’s clinical practice and they had “no evidence” that any patients were caused ‘actual harm’ as a direct result of Miss McCallum’s conduct.

However, the report goes on: “We consider the misconduct serious because over a significant period Miss McCallum used her status as a registered nurse to widely promote health advice which was contrary to recommended practice and official health advice.

“Miss McCallum also encouraged members of the public to distrust or disregard official health advice. She promoted conspiracy theories unsupported by evidence and propagated the view that there was not a global Covid-19 pandemic, and that members of the nursing profession, other healthcare professionals, the Government, and the WHO (World Heath Organisation) were complicit in genocide. She did this by way of social media, radio and/or podcasts and newspaper interviews.”

The report continues: “Her conduct took place in the context of a global pandemic, both during and in the immediate aftermath. The near consensus view of the scientific and medical community is that by advising contrary to official health and medical advice, this will place members of the public and others they encounter at risk of contracting Covid-19 and therefore at risk of serious harm.

“Furthermore, Miss McCallum breached the confidentiality of her colleague and a patient by including their personal information in her social media posts. Her actions fall far short of the standards expected of a registered nurse.”

An NHS 24 spokesperson said: "NHS 24 has robust codes of conduct which all staff are expected to adhere to. We can confirm that Ms McCallum left our organisation in 2021."

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