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

[jjenny]

Seriously? Based on those couple photos, I fail to see how anyone can decide she was unhappy and unwell. And she doesn't look ill.

 

[SapphireSteel]

Seriously? Based on those couple photos, I fail to see how anyone can decide she was unhappy and unwell. And she doesn't look ill.

She's as white as a sheet, and not smiling even though she's posing with her children.

Yes, I'd say she looks very unwell. I've had clinical depression and that's what it looks like. Death warmed over.

You look miserable and unwell, because you are.

:cow:

I'm not just basing it on the photos, she also committed suicide, which is an excellent indication she was mentally unwell.

You don't just decide to kill yourself because of a stuff up at work.

 

[Herding Cats]

SS, there are many people who don't smile for the camera...many people. And they always look "bad" in the photos, too. LOL. As someone who has MDD and has been treated for years for it, I can say that even in my untreated times I was smiling...and no one would know I was seriously depressed.

What I'm saying is that most of the time you cannot look at someone and give a diagnosis of depression. It's not like a host of other illnesses which do have tell-tale signs on the exterior; liver disease=jaundice, for example.

To me, her photos look like she doesn't particularly care for the camera. Some folks are like that.

Just my opinion and thought...and my prayers are with everyone affected by this, especially her children and her husband.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[badhorsie]

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

I totally agree. IMO it is a form of bullying, deliberately setting out to humiliate someone. Would they prank call the fire service? The Police? Nurses have enough on their plates without having to deal with idiotic pranksters.

And what is funny about trying to get intimate medical details about a young woman who was very sick and vulnerable? I just don't get it at all

 

[wfgodot]

Exactly.

Alison Moyet ‏@AlisonMoyet1
Never did appreciate that brand of comedy that seeks to publically humiliate some poor hapless soul. Low, lazy and artless #prank

 

[badhorsie]

Since the deceased nurse was seconding as "receptionist" and didn't release confidential patient information, there simply is no way she could have lost her livelihood or citizenship in the process. She likely suffered from underlying emotional issues but due to her right to privacy, we will not be privileged to her medical charts. I find it interesting that this well-educated nurse was assigned as receptionist. It makes little sense or maybe there is a reason for the work-assignment

I have worked extensively as a nurse in the private sector and it is all about profit and reputation. The nurses actions in putting the call through embarrassed that hospital on an international scale.
Private hospitals have ways and means of getting rid of staff. I have seen this in action.

And they are too cheapskate to provide a receptionist on nights

 

[badhorsie]

First and foremost, I feel awful for the nurse and especially bad for her children. A tragedy all the way around. However, she would have deserved to be fired for her mistake. I am trying to put myself if Kate's shoes and even as a normal, every day person, I would be really upset if someone released personal medical information about me over the phone and I would expect that person to lose their job.

I also agree that the DJ's in this case knew she would be fired if this prank was made public, but they in no way knew it would go THIS far. I am sure they feel very bad about what has happened too. I also agree that the DJ's should lose their jobs even though I think what they did was innocent enough as they never really thought it would work.

I have no listened to the prank and have no plans on listening to it, but I have listened to many, many pranks made by our local DJ's and I laugh and find it very entertaining. I may have to think better about what entertains me after this.

MOO

BBM The nurse who divulged the private information about Catharine is still alive

 

[Logger]

That's true, but this whole tragedy occurred as a result of Kate's pregnancy. I do not envy her having to start out a pregnancy with the death of a nurse - over a prank call about her.

The media's lack of boundaries did not start with Kate's pregnancy. This is an example of how out of bounds the media has become. Please don't blame the Princess for loving her husband and wanting to start a family.

 

[jjenny]

I think it's absolutely ludicrous to look at the two photos and come up with claims about this nurse. Both photos look completely normal. One appears to be from some form of ID. Most people don't smile on their ID photos.

"Although she was timid and described herself as ‘a very nervous person’, there was no sign that Jacintha Saldanha was suicidal, unstable or psychologically frail before the fateful moment when, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, working the night shift at King Edward VII Hospital with no full-time receptionist on duty, she picked up a ringing phone."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ide-nurse-was-unstable-before-prank-call.html

 

[Logger]

BBM The nurse who divulged the private information about Catharine is still alive

The death of this nurse, of which we don't offically know the cause, is a terrible for her family, the DJs and the Prince and Princess. I have heard the prank several times. I do not think the nurse atending to Catherine gave out any personal medical information. The terms she used were very general. Sleeping now, she has been sleeping on and off. Not wretching on her shift. Stable Catherine better now when she first came in. She didn't give out vitals, due date, blood type, specific treatment, what food is given, etc.

 

[Perodicticus potto]

and people imply they should be prosecuted for what...murder or wrongful death?....under the "egg shell rule"???

I honestly have no idea how you got this meaning out of my post. What I actually said was that IF the radio station were taken to court (and I think this incident is far more likely to result in a civil suit against the station, rather than criminal prosecution of the DJs), the eggshell skull rule would mean they could not deny responsibility for Ms Saldanha's death on the grounds that she'd had underlying psychological problems.

As for why people are reacting differently to this than they did to the Arlington Cemetery moron, it's because the two situations are different in every significant way.

 

[Sonya610]

Are you kidding me? Can you find one dang sleuther who thinks flipping off dead veterans is a "fun" expression of free speech? That is disgusting and I frankly don't believe there is one websleuther who believes such despicable, dishonorable behavior towards the dead and their families is fun, acceptable or okay, even if it is considered protected speech.

Pull up the thread. Many WS posters were of the opinion that flipping off the dead veterans and posting the photo online was an act of "free speech" and just a harmless prank done for fun, they believe the woman should not have been ostracized or lost her job as a result. I personally think the woman could have (and should have) been prosecuted for indecent behavior, lewd behavior, or whatever law that might apply.

In my mind the incidents are similar as both were jokes that resulted in bad fall-out.

 

[Herding Cats]

Sonya, the incidents are similar in the ways you mention. And you will find me supporting free speech, but also saying there is responsibility to "man up" to the consequences of one's actions.

I don't know the laws of free speech in Australia or England. I stand behind my belief that folks who exercise free speech, be it in Arlington or Australia, face the consequences of their actions.

In this case, I believe that if there is a suit of any kind, the eggshell rule will apply...and should.

What things come down to is personal responsibility. Had I been one of the DJs, I would NOT have done this, even if it cost me my job. Why? Because even if it wasn't illegal, it's morally wrong to pester someone who is ill. It's ethically wrong for someone to try to make other people break the law. And that's not even looking at the background of Wills, whose mother was hounded and died as a result.

As for the nurse who has died, she remains in my prayers, as are her children and husband. God rest her soul, and bring some measure of peace to those she's left behind.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[Sonya610]

In this case, I believe that if there is a suit of any kind, the eggshell rule will apply...and should.

First off regarding the "eggshell rule" does Australian law have a similar legal precedent? Also does the U.K. have HIPPA laws? I do not know.

I would think intent to harm is crucial when it comes to the egg shell law. If I honk at the car in front of me when the light turns green and as a result the driver has a heart attack or suffers such remorse they go home and commit suicide I cannot see how I could possibly be responsible for their death.

I will admit that the DJ's should have been aware of the fact that employees could be penalized or even fired as a result of their prank IF the employees did not do their job properly or were poorly trained. But blaming them for the death of another is going way way overboard. The DJ's expected that people would do their job and screen the calls, they NEVER expected that policies would be violated and medical information would be released.

 

[dotr]

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/r...-australian-radio-station-reviewing-practices
LONDON—The reverberations from the death of a nurse who accepted a hoax phone call about the ill Duchess of Cambridge spread through two countries Sunday, as Australian authorities said London police had contacted them about a possible investigation"

 

[panthera]

The death of this nurse, of which we don't offically know the cause, is a terrible for her family, the DJs and the Prince and Princess. I have heard the prank several times. I do not think the nurse atending to Catherine gave out any personal medical information. The terms she used were very general. Sleeping now, she has been sleeping on and off. Not wretching on her shift. Stable Catherine better now when she first came in. She didn't give out vitals, due date, blood type, specific treatment, what food is given, etc.

The information provided, however general, is still far beyond what could or would have been divulged under the HIPPA laws here in the U.S. Although I'm not familiar with what protocol there is in the UK, it still seems since this is regarding Princess Kate, the person should have at least confirmed the caller was genuine.

MOO

 

[jandkmom]

I know this isn't the popular statement here, but I laughed when I heard the phone call. I thought their accents were terrible and that it was funny that they called. I didn't hear any maliscious sounding tones. I also didn't hear the nurse give out any info that was over-whelmingly confidential. It is awful that she felt so overwrought by the situation that she took her life. I feel like everyone is so serious about things and that people tend to overreact about life happenings in general. As humans we need to not take an embarrassing situation like it is the end to everything. We all have something happen that makes us want to crawl under a desk and we have to be able to laugh at our ourselves. That being said I am sure the administrators at the hospital weren't laughing. As administrators they should have stressed that in the future that no information, no matter how small, should be given out over the phone. They should have reassured her that she would not lose her job, but to be more diligent. If they overreacted and she feared losing her job, that could have been her breaking point. I pray for her family and for the DJ's. Just like she should not have gotten so upset about this incident, so should the DJ's not be critized where they feel overwrought. It was a tragedy and we should all learn and move on. Hounding the DJ's won't bring the nurse back and is just making it continue on. IMHO

 

[jjenny]

Why do some people keep insisting this was a harmless prank? What if you were in the hospital, and somebody called pretending to be your relative? Would that be funny? I don't know about UK, but in US, because of HIPAA law, the nurses divulging information could have easily been fired. She was recorded without her knowledge and consent. Here in US, it's not legal at least in some states to record without knowledge of both parties.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I also think it was harmless.

Distasteful, yes. Wrong, yes.
But, they didn't cause this suicide.

JMO

 

[jandkmom]

Why do some people keep insisting this was a harmless prank? What if you were in the hospital, and somebody called pretending to be your relative? Would that be funny? I don't know about UK, but in US, because of HIPAA law, the nurses divulging information could have easily been fired. She was recorded without her knowledge and consent. Here in US, it's not legal at least in some states to record without knowledge of both parties.

I am just speaking for myself, but in my opinion it was a harmless prank. They didn't call the hospital and yell "fire". If everyone hadn't overreacted, who would have been harmed? If I am ever in the hospital and that information is release, big whoop. I wouldn't care, and apparently William and Kate didn't either because they have said that they didn't call the hospital about it. The nurse didn't give out any information that was critical or embarrassing to the Royals. It was a mistake by the nurses and the DJ's, but it is over and done with. Nothing can be undone. We should learn and move forward.