A nurse claims she was forced to quit her job after a psychiatrist humiliated her by making sexist comments in front of patients and colleagues, the General Medical Council was told yesterday.

Deborah Pollard, 38, was allegedly berated over a three-year period by Dr Sharaf Salem, who is accused of undermining her authority as a team leader at a clinic in Grimsby. He denies serious professional misconduct.

Dr Salem, 47, from Lincoln, is said to have said: "You are only a woman, you're a nobody" and made inappropriate comments about her body. On another occasion, he reportedly said: "I run this organisation. You are only a nurse."

She told the GMC hearing in Manchester yesterday: "He took away all my confidence and made my position seem pointless. Every day became a matter of 'How do I get through another day without a run-in with him?'"

The incidents allegedly occurred from 1996-99 when Dr Salem worked at the former Scunthorpe community healthcare NHS trust. The hearing continues.