Formal complaint made about me because I am housing a refugee who may or may not carry diseases

[Jynxed]

Please help me handle this as I am feeling very upset.

For a couple of years I have had occasional guests to stay under the Homes for Refugees scheme. This is where asylum seekers are awarded Right to Remain but the flip side of this is that they have to leave home office accommodation almost immediately, with no money and no support.

Last week I was asked to take in a young man who would be made homeless within 2 days and he arrived this weekend. He is a doctor and it came out in conversation that he had been exposed to TB through his work, had some bacteria markers, and was now receiving monitoring and treatment in the UK to treat this.

I have come across this before, but did a little research to check that there was no risk to my family. I was satisfied that latent TB is not a live disease, and treatment prevents it from developing, so in effect my guest did not have the disease, could not spread it, and was receiving treatment to ensure it could not develop.

I have a friend at work who helps me with translation and explaining strange British customs when needed, as she speaks a couple of languages common in the refugee community. I was telling her about my guest’s very early x/ray the next morning and about how to direct him.

Another colleague overheard and flipped her
lid. Lots of horrible comments about “these people coming over here and bringing their diseases “ and how I had put the whole office at risk without any consideration, and she was reporting me to the Director. I tried to explain that latent TB is not TB and of course I would not put my family at risk if there was any concern. She carried on shouting at me really aggressively, and made lots of remarks which I regard as pretty racist. She has submitted her complaint and I have been called to write a statement.

I felt really upset about it and would welcome any help to both support the fact that there is no risk, and that I have not broken any occupational health type rules. What do I say in my defence?!
Thanks for any help you can offer.

Please cite your sources

In the UK, TB hotspots are generally associated with areas of high deprivation and urban environments, with London and the West Midlands having the highest number of TB notifications in 2024. However, specific areas within the UK are experiencing significant increases in TB cases, including the East Midlands, London, North East, and South West regions.
Areas with Rising TB Cases:
East Midlands: Increased by 8.7% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
London: Increased by 9.6% in the first quarter of 2025.
North East: Increased by 21.2% in the first quarter of 2025.
South West: Increased by 9.3% in the first quarter of 2025.
West Midlands: Increased by 22.2% in 2024, with the highest overall number of notifications.
Yorkshire and the Humber: Increased by 18.2% in 2024.
Factors Contributing to TB Hotspots:
Deprivation: TB is more common in areas with higher levels of deprivation.
Urban Areas: Large urban centers, like London, tend to have higher TB rates.
Vulnerable Populations: Homelessness, drug or alcohol dependency, and contact with the criminal justice system are also associated with increased TB risk.
Potential TB Hotspot Areas: Specific areas are monitored as potential hotspots due to clusters of TB cases in cattle herds, such as those in West Sussex, Cumbria, and the Lancashire-North Yorkshire border.
Overall TB Trends:
While England remains a low-incidence country for TB, notification rates have increased from 8.5 to 9.5 cases per 100,000 people between 2023 and 2024.
TB cases are on the rise again after a period of decline, with rates now exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.
Lincolnshire has seen a significant increase in TB incidents over the past decade, with incidents more than tripling since 2016.
Leicester has the highest TB infection rate in England, with an average of 40.7 notifications per 100,000 people over the p
ast three years.

Since when is telling someone that your lodger has an appointment for an x-ray deliberately "terrifying" someone who's eavesdropping? How on earth do you think that puts OP in the wrong?

I was having a private conversation about how to direct someone to an X-ray clinic for TB screening - how is this trying to terrify someone? I realised that this person was reacting for reasons of their own, and therefore when they wouldn’t calm down with reassurance about screening and latent non-active TB I just ignored them. As the rant continued I actually encouraged them to put in a complaint, as it was clearly not going to resolved between us, and it would give me the chance to be heard and respond with evidence. I continued to ignore them whilst they rifled through company policies trying to find one where I might have transgressed, and shouting possible actions at me. I only began to react myself when they started to make really nasty racist comments about immigrants, and personal comments to me about why I chose to offer accommodation. That is the point I left the room to log my own complaint about the racist and personal abuse. So my complaint was nothing to do with their concerns about TB and everything to do with their language and abhorrent attitudes.

@Jynxed your colleague is a fruit loop. TB live is here, never mind latent.

I did not say there are not reasons why migrants have much higher levels of diseases than British people.... merely that it is a fact that they do. Just because you find facts uncomfortable dopes not make them racist. It is better to understand facts so they can be dealt with ... rather than just bleat "racist" all the time.

No doubt you will bleat the same when you hear that migrants from certain countries have been found across Europe to carry our higher levels of sex crimes against women than the existing populations per capita. Again can these facts be acted upon or must they also be labelled as racist and stuff the female victims?

A year ago Starmer said holding a child grooming gang national inquiry was racist and far right... finally he has agreed one is needed to protect girls. Had he had his way he'd have just kept screaming racist too. At some point people need to face up to facts and actually act... not wait years for more victims to appear. How many rape victims does Starmer's delay have on its hands I wonder?

OP, do you realise you have disclosed (again) in this thread confidential info about someone’s else health (and occupation, legal situation, housing status …) and about an ongoing investigation of complaints in your workplace? For your personal validation only, no other purpose.

Like your convo within earshot of other ppl, you decide it is private because it suits you, but actually it’s all over the internet for everyone to find …

Some people reading this site may be able to identify you and the other people involved very easily. Not sure the dr or your colleague would appreciate. Or your HR. There are laws about confidentiality and professional standards, you know. Even for asylum seekers that give you social clout in the office and on here. They have a right to privacy like everyone else.

Your colleague is not the main problem.

Next time you see twatty colleague be sure to cough and sneeze....

Perfectly reasonable to be concerned about a group of people that have 70% more diseases that British people and carry out much higher rates of sex crimes than British people (based on stats available in other European countries). The colleagues concerns are valid. We have no idea who we are letting in and what they are carrying. Not all of course but until the UK gets a grip it will be the case.

She needed her colleague's help with some translation. Her other racist colleague eavesdropped and like most eavesdroppers, got the story wrong.