Nurse set himself on fire over being sacked from hospital

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A nurse who died from setting himself on fire after being sacked from the hospital he worked in was suffering from a “mental breakdown”, it has been revealed.

An inquest in London heard how Amin Abdullah stood outside Kensington Palace and set himself alight over the way the NHS handled his dismissal.

The 41-year-old died in February last year after being dismissed from Charing Cross Hospital in December 2015.

He was a Charge Nurse at the time of his removal.

Speaking at the inquest, his partner Terry Skitmore said he had slipped into depression after a disciplinary investigation had been launched prior to his dismissal.

He said Mr Abdullah had not heard anything about what managers at the NHS were doing “for many weeks” and had put in a grievance regarding the delay.

He “lived for his job” and was “struggled to understand what he was being disciplined for”, Mr Skitmore told the inquiry.

“They have lost a magnificent nurse and I have lost a magnificent partner,” he added.

The court heard how Mr Abdullah had got himself caught up in a complaint made by a patient against a colleague after writing a letter detailing how they should respond.

He was dismissed because managers stated the information in it was “untrue”.

He had an appeal date set for February 2016 and was admitted to a mental health unit after having attempted to take his life.

He had been released to collect a suit for his appeal at the time of his death.

The inquest into Mr Abdullah’s death continues.

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