Hoax Call to Hospital

[alshrive]

[URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838[/URL]

While the original story was ridiculous this has got completely out of hand. Yes she was in the wrong to give out information but, working on the assumption that she has committed suicide, I do believe that the radio station are responsible for this. Who, in all good taste, would prank call a hospital to ask about somebodies medical situation anyway? I feel genuinely angry at them they have essentially ruined somebody's life enough that this person has felt that they couldn't carry on! /Rant

[Wolfshade]

We were just talking about this at work.
Firstly, it is a tragedy if it is the case.
Secondly I think there has to be questions raised about the hospitals policies given that they are the goto hospital for the royals.
I think the thing is about this, it is this sort of behaviour that the leversson enquiry is to address, I hope that had this outcome been considered that the call would not have been made.

[alshrive]

I seriously don't think the outcome should change whether that call was made. with this outcome, or any other, it was still a very sick and twisted thing to do. honestly, can anyone say that hoax calling a hospital is something even worth considering as a joke?

[alshrive]

I think the worst part is that she isn't even the person who divulged the information!

"BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said he understood Mrs Saldanha was the person who answered the call from the Australian DJs and was not the nurse who discussed the duchess's medical condition.

Mrs Saldanha, a duty nurse, answered the telephone because it was 05:30 GMT in the morning and there was no receptionist on duty."

[Wildeybeast]

I've been thinking about whether the nurses did anything wrong. On the one hand, they really should have questioned that the Queen would juts ring up (rather than one of secretaries) and it was an absolutely terrible impersonation and they really ought to have done some checking. That said, if I had a relative in hospital and rang up wanting an update on their condition, I'd expect to be told and not interrogated as to whether I actually am that person. The call was a stupid, childish and unnecessary prank, but it was just joke. Assuming she has taken her own life (which is purely speculation at this point) I really don't see how the DJ's can possibly be held accountable for that. It would be a totally unforeseeable outcome and I don't think they ever expected it to go as far as it did. It's not like they were even trying particularly hard not to be caught.

[White Tiger88]

The fact they got as far as they did amaze's me to be honest.........

[eldargal]

The DJs bear some moral responsibility if she did indeed commit suicide because of the prank call but it is hard to see how they would be legally culpable. Especially when the prank call was vetted by lawyers before going ahead according to the radio station. It should be held as a cautionary tale against prank calls in general but of course it won't. I don't like the tendency towards villifying the DJs either, they did something silly but there is no way they could have known this would happen and traumatising them won't do any good.

I'm inclined to agree with those who say the problem was with the hospitals policies re: divulging information over the phone rather than anything the nurses or even pranksters did. I'd rather see the hospital take steps to prevent this happen than any sort of blame be placed on the nurses, I don't think punishing people for being honest and trusting is a good thing.

[Denzark]

It could have been something like she had been disciplined by work, maybe lost money as a result and is in chronic debt and christmas was in jeopardy, or summat like that? The poor lass was clearly not the most robust of individuals and there is a direct correlation to the radio station - although in English/Welsh law many things rely on what the reaction from a reasonable person in sound mind would be - and I expect the poor nurse was not in sound mind - so I don't overly blame the hospital.

Sadly, the days of retainers throwing themsleves on their swords for failing their liege lords, are long gone. So I expect she was not 100% mentally, for a myriad of reasons.

[Denzark]

To add: Telegraph says she WASN'T disciplined, her colleagues state this would have 'played on her mind' and she left a testimonial on her driving instructors website saying she was 'a very nervous person'.

[eldargal]

One thing that is irritating me is how some people are using this as an excuse to bash Australians (verbally). Really? Two idiot DJs do a prank and that gives you insight into their national character? God forbid we look at ourselves then, we worshipped a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile"]paedophile rapist[/URL] for decades just 'cos he was on television.