Nursing chief quits over racist phrase

A senior official at the Royal College of Nursing has resigned after making a racist remark in front of her black boss.

Pat Bottrill, chair of the RCN's governing council, used the phrase "ten little niggers" at a meeting attended by the college's general secretary, Dr Beverly Malone.

Ms Bottrill, 60, who was third in command at the RCN, resigned today at a special meeting convened to discuss council members' "concerns" about her remark.

Sources told the Evening Standard that it was made at a closed council meeting at the RCN's Cavendish Square headquarters in central London last month.

As she waited for members to come back to the meeting after a coffee break, Ms Bottrill is understood to have used the "ten little niggers" phrase to comment on the fact that so many people had not yet returned.

The remark was linked to the Agatha Christie murder mystery novel of the same title, in which a number of people fall victim to a killer.

In a statement issued today, Ms Bottrill said: "I sincerely regret the remark."

"Although I did not intend any offence, I am stepping down as chair as a sign of my own and the RCN's commitment to tacklingany perceived form of racism.

"The RCN has stated that it will not tolerate racism, even if unintentional, and by my resignation I wish to demonstrate that the organisation means what it says. We must now use this opportunity to bring this issue higher up the RCN's and others' agendas."

Ms Bottrill's resignation came as a shock to many members of the college. She had worked for the RCN for 27 years and was recently awarded an MBE for services to nursing.

Dr Malone said: "Pat has made a personal sacrifice for the good of the RCN. She has apologised for the offence her remark caused and I accept that apology on behalf of myself and staff. The decision today confirms that the RCN collectively is committed to tackling institutional discrimination in all its forms and Pat has demonstrated that today."

The RCN has been beset by internal fighting since Dr Malone's appointment last year. Some British nurses were angered by the appointment because she is American and had no experience of the NHS.

Dr Malone, a former head of the American Nurses Association, was also a close aide to President Clinton.

In June she faced an RCN emergency meeting called by members concerned about her management style and the reforms she has instituted at the college. Three members of staff have been suspended and new executives have been brought in under Dr Malone.

Grassroots activists have accused her of "misreading the national culture" and not understanding the concerns of nurses on the front line. Some say that she has not been as proactive as her British predecessor, Christine Hancock, in fighting for better pay. She also attracted controversy when it emerged that her mother, who came to live with her daughter but has no British citizenship rights, had undergone two operations on the NHS.

Dr Malone's salary has also angered nurses. She is understood to earn at least £100,000 and has flights to her home in Kentucky paid by the RCN.

Most nurses are earning less than £20,000 a year in the NHS.