The adult nurse at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust 'explicitly' told her patient that the Covid vaccines were the cause of her cancer
16:35, 17 Jun 2026 Updated 16:48, 17 Jun 2026
A Dorset nurse told a patient Covid vaccinations were "what caused your cancer" and gave her an anti-vaccination leaflet.
Penny Ann Senner, who was an adult nurse at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, has been struck off for her actions following a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) misconduct panel.
The tribunal found four out of six charges proven, including that the nurse gave the patient a leaflet with a link to an anti-vaccination website.
The patient, referred to as Patient A, told the panel she saw Senner for a routine appointment in August 2023 when the nurse broached the topic of Covid jabs in a “sly manner”.
The patient said in a witness statement: "She asked if I had been vaccinated, which I assumed was a routine inquiry.
"I informed her that I had received the vaccinations and boosters. Ms Senner then said that 'that’s what caused your cancer'.
"Ms Senner explicitly stated that the vaccines were the cause of my cancer and that this had been 'hushed up'."
Patient A added that the nurse’s comments were not framed as a "suggestion or a possibility" but rather as a "direct and definitive claim".
She said: "Her tone and choice of words left no room for interpretation. It was a clear and unequivocal statement."
Asked by Miss Senner’s legal representative, Niall McCrae, whether it would change her view of the nurse if it were shown that the Covid jabs could raise the risk of cancer, or quicken its progress, Patient A said: "No, it will not change my view.
"I was at a very vulnerable state. I was going through chemotherapy. I had no hair. I was having several medical appointments a week.
"I did not need somebody to come in and basically tell me that I could have prevented my own disease."
Patient A explained Senner gave her the leaflet which she had retrieved from her car and that she accepted it "out of genuine concern".
She said: "Later, when I looked at the website referenced in the leaflet, I realised it was an anti-vaccination website and not a source of new or reliable information as I had been told.
"I felt relieved but the experience stayed with me, leaving me distressed for some time."
Patient A was then fearful about her children receiving their Covid vaccinations as she was worried they might get cancer.
Responding to the allegations, Senner said she was "deeply sorry" to hear Patient A was upset, adding "this was certainly not my intention".
The nurse was also found to have accessed "numerous" patients' records without authorisation or a legitimate clinical reason.
The panel heard Senner began compiling a list of patients shortly after the Covid vaccines were rolled out, noting the reason for accessing records as "research".
The ruling said: "The panel acknowledged that Miss Senner did not intend to harm Patient A, however, it considered that her misconduct caused lasting emotional and psychological harm to Patient A.
"Miss Senner did not behave kindly or professionally during her interaction with Patient A and did not recognise or acknowledge Patient A’s vulnerability at the time."
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It added: "A member of the public would be shocked to learn that a registered nurse was sharing their personal beliefs with patients, when they knew that these were inconsistent with their employer’s policies and UK health guidance."
The panel made an order to strike Senner off the nursing register with an interim suspension order of 18 months to allow her time to appeal.
The panel ruled the nurse attempted to undermine public confidence in public health advice with her actions.
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United Kingdom