Hoax Call to Hospital

[alshrive]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838

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 paedophile rapist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile) for decades just 'cos he was on television.

[Denzark]

Sure this is at the mild end of Aussie behaviour I just can't stand them beating us at the Rugby...

[Wildeybeast]

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 paedophile rapist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile) for decades just 'cos he was on television.

Really. i haven't heard any Aussie bashing. Who's been doing that then?

On a side note, the Duke and Duchess have never complained about the call, either to the hospital or the radio station. I think their is message in here somewhere for society about giving them some damn privacy.

[eldargal]

People on news blogs and comments mostly, no one mainstream thankfully.

HRH The Prince of Wales actually joked about the prank call.

[Build]

I have no respect or sympathy for the DJs, if I'm being honest I hope they get the book thrown at them, not because I'm a royalist (I'm really not) but because of the loss of the nurses life. The DJs could not have picked a worse time to do this either given the recent results of the Leveson enquiry.

As for it showing Aussies in a bad light, I don't think so, I spent a year living in Aus and it was awesome, I have nothing negative to say about the people who on the whole were a good laugh, understanding, open minded, interesting and oodles of fun on night out on the piss.

[Kirsten]

I had an argument about this with someone yesterday, last few days my facebook newsfeed has been covered in messages attacking the DJs calling them everything under the sun and calling for charges and all sorts. The simple fact is they made a prank call, it was not malicious, and nobody could possibly have predicted this outcome. bad taste? sure. bad timing? sure. are they actually at fault? I don't think so. deepest sympathies to the family of the nurse, it is a terrible event, but the DJs will suffer for the rest of their lives feeling guilty for something that should have been a simple bit of fun. For the first 24 hours the news was nothing but what were the nurses doing handing out the information, then the circumstances change and suddenly that is swept under the carpet. The staff made a mistake, the royal family didn't care, people thought it was quite funny, it is a shame that wasn't the end of it.

[tawelwch]

Just saying out loud it sounds bad enough.

'Prank called hospital'

I feel very sad for the nurse and her family. Can't imagine what they must be going through. I hope they're getting looked after and that the press leave them alone.

The two DJs can't have seen what was going to happen at all. I honestly am amazed that it was thought to be a good idea to start with though and even worse that it was check by management and then broadcast.
Some people do need sacking for it and it's not just the DJs.

[Wolfshade]

DJs have always done prank calls, look at Wossy for instance.
I find them to be of poor taste most of the time, but thankfully the radio shows I listen to do not employ them.

[Psychosplodge]

When you compare what Wossy and Brand did, it was far more distasteful than the actual content of this one.
Unfortunately in this case an individual has reacted in an unpredictable manner, which will have consequences for all involved, if not legal, then the DJs in question will have it coming back to haunt them in some form or other for the rest of their lives.
The only thing I can see changing is the hospital having more stringent phone checks.

[Wolfshade]

Well yes exactly, what I can't understand though is how this happened, given the hospital is very familiar with having the royals and "celebrities" you would have thought that they would have protocols for this sort of thing.
Though, I had a similiar thing on Saturday, I called the hospital about a relative and I was given an update on her conditions when she could recieve guests and all that and I never identified myself or what relation I was to the patient. When I arrived at the hospital I went to the nurse station and said I had called earlier and was given an update and a cup of tea. Now with being a legit concern it was very good that it was so simple, but then I thought of the hoax call and thought it was ridiculuosly simple.

[Psychosplodge]

I suppose a non-famous individual, the fact you know where they are goes a certain way to providing evidence of who you are?
Plus how much use is the information to you beyond telling you how they are?

[Wolfshade]

Oh yes non-famous. And I gather that I knew where they were did help. For me there wasn't an issue or the rest of the family. The issue would be if the member of the family didn't want that information given to an estranged member who may have been written out of a will or some such

[Psychosplodge]

Yeah, I can see where that would be an issue...

[eldargal]

So it turns out the radio station attempted to contact the hospital five times (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/royal-prank-djs-just-want-sorry-070922921.html) before deciding to air it anyway. As far as I'm concerned now I think the blame rests with the hospital for lax privacy protections and the radio station for airing the call without permission, not the DJs.

[Wolfshade]

They did allegedly try and get into contact with the hospital five times, but they never managed to get through. I find it ludicrious that you can attempt to get consent, not get an answer and assume that that is a carte blanche to play it anyway. That is simply not how it should work.
I think what made things worse, because the constant media replays of the call could not replay the information being given out what we were left with was this poor nurse answering the 'phone ad infinitum.

[tawelwch]

I know it's not the law (I think it isn't) but they should have asked for Kate Middletons permission as well as the two nurses. It was her personal information they broadcast after all.

[Deadlift]

Feel very sorry for the nurses children, but obviously there had to be some mental health issues involved here. This prank was the final push. If it hadn't been this then it would have been something else that pushed this poor women over the edge. As for the DJs, I feel very bad for them too. No one could have foreseen this happening. As EG said, it's the lack of communication before airing the piece that was the problem. The stations lawyers gave the green light anyway. Want to blame someone, blame the lawyers.