Great Ormond Street Hospital speech therapist breaks cover after being forced to make grovelling apology for stunning BBC Question Time viewers by wishing illness on Brexiteers' children 

  • NHS worker's rant on TV caused outrage in audience and among viewers
  • Nicola Gorb, 47, said leaving the EU will cut funding and research
  • Speech and language therapist, from Watford, said: 'I want people who are leaving to one day unfortunately have a child who needs that treatment'
  • Viewers called on her to be sacked and pledged not to give cash to GOSH 
  • She boasted about her rant on Facebook, but has now apologised

By Martin Robinson, Uk Chief Reporter and Anthony Joseph for MailOnline

Published: 05:09 EDT, 4 November 2016 | Updated: 15:43 EDT, 4 November 2016

An NHS worker sparked fury when she wished illnesses on the children of Brexiteers during an appearance on BBC One's Question Time last night.

Nicola Gorb, 47, a language and speech therapist at Great Ormond Street children's hospital, now faces calls to be sacked.

Introduced by David Dimbleby as 'the woman shaking her head', the mother-of-one told the panel she is 'very much a Remainer' who believes that Brexit will impair medical research and funding.  

Nicola Gorb covered her face with her hood as she left her home in Watford this afternoon (pictured). The Great Ormond Street language and speech therapist sparked fury when she wished illnesses on the children of Brexiteers during Question Time 

Row: This NHS worker said she suggested the children of Brexiteers get illnesses 

Reaction: The worker, who said she worked at Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London, was met with gasps as she spoke on Question Time last night

Nicola Gorb, 47, a language and speech therapist at Great Ormond Street children's hospital, now faces calls to be sacked

In hot water: In the minutes after she opened her mouth viewers shocked by the rant called on the NHS to fire her

And amid gasps from the audience, the self-proclaimed 'professional anti-Brexiter', from Watford, said: 'I want people who are leaving to one day unfortunately have a child who needs that treatment but it's not there because collaboration's not been there.' 

She also claimed 44 research projects at the hospital were 'collaborative' and that a quarter of research staff are from other EU countries. 

As the people tried to yell over her she said: 'I'm sorry, but the research has to continue.' 

After the show, the City University graduate boasted about her performance on social media, saying: 'Well I had a good rant about NHS, great ormond street hospital and eu staff and collaboration - sick children not getting treatment blah blah...' 

But today, after a public backlash, she apologised for her comments on the show.

She told The Huffington Post UK: 'I'm deeply sorry if what I said has been misconstrued or misinterpreted. It's not what I meant to say. I care deeply about the care of children and that's what I wanted to get across.

'I hope nobody is in that position with an ill child who can't receive care because that research has been cut. It is so distressing to see headlines written about you like that.

'I can only apologise profusely for what I said and say it is not what I meant. I didn't mean to say it and I would never wish this on children or their parents.

'I am very committed to the care of children. I'm just really sorry for this.' 

Great Ormond Street distanced themselves from Ms Gorb's comments - but it is a PR disaster for the hospital, which relies on charitable donations to deliver its world class care for unwell children. 

Her statement also caused fury among BBC viewers who said she should be sacked.

Gorb works at Great Ormond Street Hospital 'with children with complex voice and airway disorders'

Pictured is pro-EU stickers on the window of Ms Gorb's home in Watford, Hertfordshire

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) told MailOnline it is considering whether her comments constitutes a fitness to practice hearing. Pictured is Ms Gorb's home in Watford

Daniel Heads tweeted: 'Hoping 'leavers' have a sick child once we leave the EU. What a disgusting woman she is, witch #bbcqt #questiontime'. 

Paul Letts wrote: 'The woman from @GreatOrmondSt should be ashamed wishing people have sick kids needing treatment #bbcqt'. 

Rhys Hughes said: 'The NHS worker on question time who wishes illness on people's children for voting Brexit should be sacked #bbcqt #vile'.

Gorb works at Great Ormond Street Hospital 'with children with complex voice and airway disorders'.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: 'This is not a Great Ormond Street Hospital stance.

'We want to reassure all families that we will do our very best to find and offer new cures and treatments to all children that need them - whatever political circumstances the country find itself in.'

'We cannot comment on questions around personal conduct of individual members of staff.'  

Gorb also does work for the the London Gender Identity Clinic with transgender people and has a private practice at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and another in Watford.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) told MailOnline it is considering whether her comments constitutes a fitness to practice hearing.

A picture on Nicola Gorb's Facebook page shows her support for the Remain campaign

The HCPC is the regulatory body for speech therapists and has the power to carry out an independent investigation.

On her Twitter profile, she describes herself as a 'political activist, friend of Greens, Lib Dem, professional anti-brexiter'. 

Panellists on the shows last night were Tory Communities Minister Sajid Javid and Labour MP Lisa Nandy.

They were joined by editor-in-chief of the Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes, talk show host Charlie Wolf, and radio presenter Huey Morgan.

But tempers on a relatively sedate episode of the show boiled over when the NHS worker spoke.

As she talked about fears about funding cuts other audience members clapped in appreciation, but as she went on it turned to anger. 

Fury: Viewers were quick to jump on her comments and suggested she should be disciplined for her comments

She said: 'I'm very much a Remainer, I want to stay in the EU, I want freedom of movement.

'If you have a child who requires specialist services, that knowledge may not be there because that collaboration has been cut.

'You have to have the people to come together to get the knowledge to progress - from the EU.

'25 per cent of all staff who are clinicians come from non-British EU countries'.  

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