A REDDITCH nurse alleged she could have been prevented from injury at the town’s Alexandra Hospital if the ward had been more adequately staffed.

The complaint was made by Sheeba Varghese of Lakeside, Redditch, as she sought compensation at Birmingham Employment Tribunal for race discrimination against Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mrs Varghese was injured as she attended a patient at the hospital in Woodrow Drive, Redditch.

Her claim and complaint about staffing comes as the Alexandra Hospital is facing controversial cost cutting proposals.

Mrs Varghese said she needed treatment for the undisclosed injury after being pushed against a wall by a patient while on duty.

She said she believed the injury could have been prevented if the ward had been adequately staff.

“Two Indian nurses were on duty at the time but if white nurses had been there as well more assistance would have been provided,” she said in her statement.

Mrs Varghese recalled the incident as part of her evidence for her race discrimination claim.

She alleged in her statement she was not allocated lighter duties as requested and complained about delayed response to her complaints about victimisation and harassment – further incidents she said supported her race discrimination claim.

She alleges she was not treated as favourably as her white colleagues.

“I was not aware why I was being treated badly,” said Mrs Varghese who is of Asian origin.

The trust opposed Mrs Varghese’s claim and denied the race discrimination allegations.

Questions were asked whether some of Mrs Varghese’s claims were made within the tribunal registration deadline.

Mrs Varghese had also complained she was unfairly dismissed.

But tribunal judge Alan McCarry said he was only interested in considering her race discrimination claim at this stage.