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RAF sergeant in uniform moved by hospital to avoid offending other patients
Mark Prendeville, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was moved out of sight of other patients by staff at a Kent hospital
A hospital has apologised after an RAF sergeant was asked to move out of sight of other patients in case his uniform caused offence.
Aircraft engineer Mark Prendeville was relocated twice by hospital staff who said his uniform “might upset people” because “we have all kinds of different cultures coming in”.
Sgt Prendeville was taken to the Accident and Emergency unit of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent after chemicals from a fire extinguisher got in to his eyes during a training exercise at RAF Manston.
According to his father, the 38-year-old, who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia, was “dumbfounded” to be told on two different occasions to stand out of the view of other patients. He was wearing a camouflage combat uniform.
63-year-old Jim Prendeville, who also served in the armed forces, said he was “disgusted” by the way his son was treated.
He told The Telegraph: “One of the staff asked him if he would stand around the corner so he wouldn’t be seen by other people in case it may upset them because he was in uniform.
“He went round the corner not to make a fuss but then another member of staff asked him to move again in case anyone saw him because he was in uniform.”
“He said 'why should I move', and they said because your uniform might upset people, we have all kinds of different cultures coming in and you might upset them.”
Mr Prendeville said his son should not be treated any different from anybody else. “In fact I think they should get priority treatment,” he added.
“The way they treat our servicemen - they’re willing to put their lives on the line and they’re treated like lepers when they go to A&E.”
A spokesman for East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "A member of the armed forces in uniform attended our A&E and was asked by a member of staff if he wanted to sit inside the department rather than the waiting room.
"This employee was acting in good faith because previously, there had been an altercation between a member of the public and a different member of the armed forces in uniform."
The hospital trust is "absolutely clear that members of Her Majesty's armed forces, whether in uniform or not, should not be treated any differently to any other person,” the spokesman added.
"We are now making this point clear to all our members of staff and will seek to make sure that this never happens again”.
The sergeant, a father-of-one was treated for the chemicals in his eyes and prescribed drops. He is expected to make a full recovery.