UK - Nurse duped by prankster regarding royal, found dead.

[wfgodot]

Reuters tech guy, within the last 15 minutes:

Matthew Keys ‏@TheMatthewKeys
[Update] 2Day FM has removed all references to the royal hospital prank phone call from its website.

Matthew Keys ‏@TheMatthewKeys
The Facebook page for 2Day FM, the station behind the royal phone call hoax, has been deleted.

 

[Logger]

I am just waiting for the folks who thought Princess Diana was murdered to come up with a theory the nurse was killed by "the firm" to warn others not to violate royal privacy.

 

[wfgodot]

I'd certainly like to know what pressure was brought to bear by "the firm" regarding the hospital and its employee.

This all can't have been laughed off. It doesn't work that way, I don't think.

 

[4Jacy]

Everyone involved must feel terrible. I hope that Kate doesn't think this is a bad omen on her pregnancy. This nurse, while I feel so sorry for her and her family, I believe had underlying issues and this just pushed her over the edge.

My prayers are for Kate, Wills and the unborn child. I wish the media will be respectful and leave them alone.

 

[Perodicticus potto]

I read that she was Filipina, maybe looking at losing her livelihood and her citizenship.

That might explain why she didn't catch on to the DJs' "bad English accents."

In my opinion, the DJs (or, more likely, their producers) acted negligently. They should have been aware that when you pull a prank involving a stranger, there is a possibility that that stranger will be vulnerable in some way. The nurse probably did have underlying issues, but if the radio station were taken to court over her death, I suspect the eggshell skull rule would apply.

 

[cluciano63]

It was a silly prank and listening to the recording it is very hard to believe the callers got past reception, not to mention fooled the nurse. Clearly, the prank was never intended to cause this outcome and as of yesterday, no one was all that upset about it.

I do wonder what the nurse was told by her supervisors and we will probably never know. I doubt they were as casual and forgiving as they are trying to sound now.

 

[redheadedgal]

the DJs did nothing wrong by placing the call imo... they didn't know they'd be "rung through". the error on their part? releasing the part of the call where kate's medical information/condition was discussed. that should've absolutely remained confidential. i think that is just as heinous as staff discussing her case over the phone to an unapproved/unvetted caller. whoever okay'd that should be fired and i wouldn't be surprised if the nurse who talked is fired too (and i would hope she would be):

All personnel working at King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes are under both contractual and legal obligations to keep all patient information and records confidential.

http://www.kingedwardvii.co.uk/patient_charter.cfm

 

[eileenhawkeye]

When I listened to the call, before I read any comments about it, I thought it was hilarious. I could definitely see people doing that as a prank and not expecting the backlash. I was surprised when I read comments and saw that most people were disgusted by it. I think the nurse was just humiliated by what happened, and it is a shame because the whole thing would've blown over in a few days. I don't think she would've been fired because there would be a lot of outrage from pubic/media.

 

[wfgodot]

I fail to see the hilarity of adding to the burden of a working nurse on a busy ward.

As for losing her position - that sort of thing may take time but if the powers that be made their decision she could have been hectored into resigning at any time in the coming months. What would have "blown over" would have been the press and the public's ability to care what happened to her as the news cycles moved inexorably forward, away from one incident receding into the past.

 

[gitana1]

the DJs did nothing wrong by placing the call imo... they didn't know they'd be "rung through". the error on their part? releasing the part of the call where kate's medical information/condition was discussed. that should've absolutely remained confidential. i think that is just as heinous as staff discussing her case over the phone to an unapproved/unvetted caller. whoever okay'd that should be fired and i wouldn't be surprised if the nurse who talked is fired too (and i would hope she would be):

All personnel working at King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes are under both contractual and legal obligations to keep all patient information and records confidential.

http://www.kingedwardvii.co.uk/patient_charter.cfm

BBM. I'm confused. Isn't she dead? I saw a post elsewhere stating it was the first nurse, the one who connected the call, but didn't divulge info, who is dead. Which is it?

 

[emmaducks]

The nurse who connected the call is he one who died. The nurse who gave the report is ok. What a sad story. I feel terrible for the family of the nurse, for the other nurse as well, for Will and Kate (even though it is not their fault it would be hard not to feel guilty) and yes even to the radio pranksters. It was not nice what they did, but I am sure this was not expected at all.

 

[gitana1]

It was a silly prank and listening to the recording it is very hard to believe the callers got past reception, not to mention fooled the nurse. Clearly, the prank was never intended to cause this outcome and as of yesterday, no one was all that upset about it.

I do wonder what the nurse was told by her supervisors and we will probably never know. I doubt they were as casual and forgiving as they are trying to sound now.

Apparently, people were very upset about it yesterday. I guess there was a lot of outcry and that may have gotten to the nurse.

The royal family claim they made no complaints, though:

"Their royal highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time,” the statement said.
A St. James's Palace spokesman said there had been no complaint from the palace about the call, Sky News reported. "On the contrary," he said, "we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...ound-dead-prank-call-20121207,0,1037439.story

Besides Jacintha Saldanha and her family, I feel sorry for Kate. If I was pregnant and the nurse who was in my room killed herself, I would be horrified and feel it deeply.

And yeah, the prank was a bit funny, the way they imitated the royals and went on about walking the corgis and things. But to me the fun disappears when it's part of how the media hounds these people. And I think that's what it is.

The media hounded Diana to her death. They go after celeb kids. They are relentless all around. I know these DJ's aren't typical media. They aren't paparazzi. But they feed off that general behavior and the attitude that it's okay to delve deeply into people's private lives just because they are famous - to dog their every step and attempt to dig up the most intimate details of their lives. I really don't like that.

I don't think being famous or royal or whatever should make a person's private life up for grabs. Why? Who said fame = a total loss of privacy? I think laws should be tougher. The paparazzi act like feeding sharks and it's disgusting. Kate seems like a nice, innocent person and now they are after her, like they went after her mother in law. No sense of decency or honor. Nothing. It's okay to take photos of someone in the privacy of a backyard or call their hospital room and dig up info. Can you imagine how it must feel to be her? I hope she's made of strong stuff.

And now some poor lady is dead, also as a result of media antics. Most of us cannot imagine how intense it has probably been for that lady. Especially us here in America where the royal family is not such a big deal. Poor thing. :twocents:

 

[gitana1]

The nurse who connected the call is he one who died. The nurse who gave the report is ok. What a sad story. I feel terrible for the family of the nurse, for the other nurse as well, for Will and Kate (even though it is not their fault it would be hard not to feel guilty) and yes even to the radio pranksters. It was not nice what they did, but I am sure this was not expected at all.

That's what I had heard. Can you provide a link or something showing that? Because I have read reports that "the nurse who took the call" killed herself but that could mean either.

But if it's the case, then what I stated above about pressure certainly wouldn't apply as much and I would tend to agree more roundly with those saying this lady must have had serious underlying issues. The one who spoke and divulged info would be the one, IMO who would feel much more humiliation. I do note, however, that the one who first answered had an accent but the second one not as much.

ETA: I found it!

The hospital nurse who put through a prank call to Kate Middleton's private nurse earlier this week has been found dead in a suspected suicide, the Daily Mail reports.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...nurse-found-dead-prank-callers_n_2257231.html

 

[redheadedgal]

Besides Jacintha Saldanha and her family, I feel sorry for Kate. If I was pregnant and the nurse who was in my room killed herself, I would be horrified and feel it deeply.


the nurse who killed herself was not kate's nurse...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...callers_n_2257231.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

 

[SapphireSteel]

Tragic for everyone but the prank was like most pranks, innocent in nature.

They were not bullying anyone, nor did they intend to...they never for one second believed they would be taken seriously. It was a child like attempt at amusing entertainment for their listeners, no more.

I remember laughing like hell at different prank calls I've listened to over the years. They can be hysterically funny, as this one probably was, before the horrible side effect.

What the DJ's have done is show up a serious security flaw within that hospital, which has since come out and actually boasted of their reputation for discretion and completely dodged responsibility. God forbid they should be the slightest bit grateful or embarrassed that the DJ's have saved them from some really serious security breaches in future.

They have totally ignored the fact that clearly this nurse clearly wasn't trained on privacy regulations, and completely missed the ethos of discretion, even though she'd worked there four years. How?

It is the first thing you learn in a workplace in Australia if you work with people's personal details. This wouldn't have happened in the first place if she'd been trained properly by that monument to "discretion".

They also claim not to have disciplined her in any way, so they didn't take the offence very seriously at all at the time. It would have cost her her job in Australia, no question.

This reminds me of the time that the Duchess was photographed sunbaking topless. These people have absolute top level security surrounding them at all times, and this sort of thing happens????

There's a lot of blame to spread and as far as I can see the DJ's are actually only responsible for being DJs.

:dunno:

 

[jjenny]

That's what I had heard. Can you provide a link or something showing that? Because I have read reports that "the nurse who took the call" killed herself but that could mean either.
...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...nurse-found-dead-prank-callers_n_2257231.html

"She answered their call and, believing the 2Day FM presenters were members of the Royal Family, put them through to another nurse who described Kate's condition in detail."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kate-middleton-prank-call-receptionist-1478123

But the one who spoke was on a private line, and her expectations might have been that not just anyone could get through to that private line.

"The hospital offers its VIP patients private lines that are connected directly to their rooms but the Australian DJs were able to reach the Duchess’s personal nurse via the switchboard in an apparent breach of procedure."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-found-dead-in-suspected-suicide-8393289.html

 

[Missy70Texas]

When I listened to the call, before I read any comments about it, I thought it was hilarious. I could definitely see people doing that as a prank and not expecting the backlash. I was surprised when I read comments and saw that most people were disgusted by it. I think the nurse was just humiliated by what happened, and it is a shame because the whole thing would've blown over in a few days. I don't think she would've been fired because there would be a lot of outrage from pubic/media.

I agree! Also it was reported that the hospital was being very supportive of the nurses.

I heard the call on HLN and thought it was hilarious also. It was also very generic in nature, no medical info was given other then stating that Kate was OK. I was watching JVM a few minutes ago and IMO I think the media is acting worse then the DJ's in persecuting them and blaming them for this woman's suicide. I believe that this woman was already troubled and had it not been this call something else would have pushed her over the edge. Prank call or not she was already suicidal it was just a matter of time. May she RIP.

 

[jjenny]

Those DJs impersonated a Queen and Prince Charles. If they were in England, they probably could have been arrested for that.
And no, I don't think it was just a harmless little prank.
And I haven't seen any information to suggest that this nurse was somehow troubled prior to all this.

 

[Penelope]

Those DJs impersonated a Queen and Prince Charles. If they were in England, they probably could have been arrested for that.
And no, I don't think it was just a harmless little prank.
And I haven't seen any information to suggest that this nurse was somehow troubled prior to all this.

I agree with you, jjenny.

It was not a harmless little prank. They impersonated a Queen and a Prince and got one nurse to put them through to another nurse who then revealed confidential medical information. Then the DJs then played the call repeatedly and laughed about it.

What ever happened to human decency? Don't people remember how William's mother died? How dare they play a joke at the expense of the Duchess who is carrying a baby and is ill, and at the expense of innocent employees. Obviously, the nurse who initially answered the phone that morning wasn't adequately trained. Can you imagine her humiliation and her fear at possibly losing her job? Maybe she took he life because of this, or because she felt so bad that she had failed the Duchess and the Queen.

Maybe I am old fashioned, but I am very upset and saddened by this whole incident. I hope the DJs lose their jobs. My prayers go to the nurse and her family, especially her two children who are now without a mother due to a "harmless prank."

 

[Yoda]

Making someone feel foolish is not funny. A prank or joke at the expense of someone else's feelings is not funny. Abusing the trust and goodwill of someone else for a laugh is not funny. JMHO