A family is heartbroken after a west London hospital cut a 91-year-old Sikh man’s beard during a routine sponge bath. The man, who had suffered a mini stroke, was unable to communicate, and the family was not consulted prior to the incident. Sikh beliefs regard hair as sacred, and the family is calling for better awareness and training for hospital staff on religious and cultural sensitivities. They expressed feelings of helplessness and frustration over the breach of their grandfather’s beliefs.