When a joke goes too far

[Hicks12]

Its not fraud but it certainly is impersonating the queen which I swear is illegal?

It was a complete dickish move and they should never have done it, seriously what did they expect? I dont just think oh hey my friends in hospital lets pretend to be his dad so I get all the juicy information, no its plain wrong and they say it got out of hand and never want it to go that far well then why did you hang up the bloody phone? Say oh its the queen get passed over and say HAHA SORRY IM NOT THE QUEEN. Thats a prank but actually gathering that private information is sick and distasteful,

Its a shame this women killed her self, I would assume she was near her limit and struggling to provide for the family and then found out that you got tricked and passed over someone impersonating the QUEEN, and likely lose your job over it and never be able to provide for your family as you will be struck off in that sector then it could really top you to this level, she probably couldnt stand the thought of not providing for her kids.

The idiots at that radio station should be fired and sued for as much as possible, you just dont do that pathetic stunt and its clear that they will never learn since that event with that little girl!.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It looks like one of the DJs is on suicide watch now,and maybe the other. Maybe people should back up on them as three tragedies is worse than one.

TBH,the hospital should have known better,by making sure their switchboards were manned by people with appropriate training, and the Aussies regulators really should have done more about the station as they have screwed up before. None of this needed to happen.

[Willzzz]

Indeed, although I doubt the hypocritical press would feel any regret if they caused another two deaths.

[Unique]

It looks like one of the DJs is on suicide watch now,and maybe the other. Maybe people should back up on them as three tragedies is worse than one.

TBH,the hospital should have known better,by making sure their switchboards were manned by people with appropriate training, and the Aussies regulators really should have done more about the station as they have screwed up before. None of this needed to happen.

this is the part that i don't see many people referring to. the hospital had a duty of care towards it's staff and should have ensured she was properly trained to deal with calls like this. not only so calls don't go through when they shouldn't, so this wouldn't have been much of a story, but so she was adequately able to cope with the stress and pressures of such a job, so she could handle if a mistake was made, as inevitably that happens. and that should have been the case even without having high profile patients and guests. further training and support should have been given for somewhere that has high profile patients. whilst this was just DJ's, it could have been other people with worse intentions, like that commonly used T word the papers like to write about all the time

[Bluecube]

I think it was about 5.30 in the morning over here when the call was made so the switchboard was unmanned. AFAIK the call went straight through to a duty nurse who then passed it on to the ward nurse. If the call had been made during normal UK working hours then I suspect it would have been handled better by those with training. That's speculation on my part though!

I've no sympathy for the DJs nor do I believe they are on suicide watch. Anyone that gets a 14 year old to reveal to her mother on a live show that she was raped two years ago (another one of their fine jolly japes!) is more than able to cope with a nurse committing suicide.

[Rave]

Ain't read this thread. As ever though, Spiked have articulated my feelings perfectly:

http://www.spiked-online.com/site/article/13159/

[Biscuit]

Maddox, although quite... you know... posted this with regards to blaming the DJs:



Full article... be warned, he doesnt hold back

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vic...-1226534074029

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...-hospital.html

[peterb]

I the most disturbing thing about this is why the humiliation of an innocent victim (in general terms) should be found funny - and that this is used to increase listening figures and therefore advertising revenue.

I have nothing against practical jokes, when they are local and the person having the prank played on them is in the vicinity so that a sense of perspective can be given and the victim realises it is a practical joke. In this case, the victim was unaware that it was a joke - the presenters were several thousand miles away, and in no position to explain the joke to the victim, andI doubt anyone in this country, whether they were native english speakers or not, would be aware that this is a feature of the station concerned.

The nearest equivalent case was when Russel Brand and Jonathon Ross phoned Andrew Sachs - and both lost their jobs as a result.

Other TV prank shows have the presenters on hand to explain the joke afterwards (to the victim) and the victim may be able to request that it isn't shown, which was not an option.

So while the presenters could not have foreseen the particular outcome of this phone call, they were not in a position to control any effect it might have had on the victim.

[Willzzz]

The funny part wasn't and was never intended to be the 'humiliation' of an innocent victim. The funny part is the sheer gall of the pranksters in daring to attempt it. You think I can't believe they dared do that, that is what makes it funny.

[Flash477]

I know that I am a bit late into this conversation, but here are my thoughts on it.

Basically in the "food chain" of the hospital, nurses are at the very bottom. If anyone would have been sacked over the incident it would have been that nurse, and I should imagine the stress of losing her job, which considering she was working so far away would have been very important for her. So the chances of then getting another job for being sacked for something like this would have left her without a job for a good long while.

This is the way things work in your average hospital:
[*]Doctor does something wrong -> Another doctor will have their back and little to no consequence[*]Doctor ignores something and the patient dies -> Another doctor will have their back and little to no consequence and quite possibly the nurse will get the blame[*]Doctor prescribes the wrong drug and patient dies -> Doctor is safe and the nurse will get the sack[*]Nurses carry out the doctors orders and a patient dies because of it -> one or both of them will get the sack[*]Nurse(s) do something wrong -> one or both get the sack

In short doctors stick up for doctors and keep their jobs, nurses don't stick up for colleagues as they know they are easily replaced so do all they can to keep their job, so she was probably 95% certain that she would lose her job.

I know that no doctors were involved here, but I am just trying to get accross the point that the nurses are sacked for just about everything that they do wrong, even if what they do is at the express orders of a doctor. Most of the times it is actually the nurses that save the patients from the doctors (who often do 36 hour shifts) and the bed managers (who just look at the bottom line).

So although we can't say for sure that just this incident caused her to commit suicide, we can say that it was likely a very large factor.

[csgohan4]

I know that I am a bit late into this conversation, but here are my thoughts on it.

Basically in the "food chain" of the hospital, nurses are at the very bottom. If anyone would have been sacked over the incident it would have been that nurse, and I should imagine the stress of losing her job, which considering she was working so far away would have been very important for her. So the chances of then getting another job for being sacked for something like this would have left her without a job for a good long while.

This is the way things work in your average hospital:
[*]Doctor does something wrong -> Another doctor will have their back and little to no consequence[*]Doctor ignores something and the patient dies -> Another doctor will have their back and little to no consequence and quite possibly the nurse will get the blame[*]Doctor prescribes the wrong drug and patient dies -> Doctor is safe and the nurse will get the sack[*]Nurses carry out the doctors orders and a patient dies because of it -> one or both of them will get the sack[*]Nurse(s) do something wrong -> one or both get the sack

In short doctors stick up for doctors and keep their jobs, nurses don't stick up for colleagues as they know they are easily replaced so do all they can to keep their job, so she was probably 95% certain that she would lose her job.

I know that no doctors were involved here, but I am just trying to get accross the point that the nurses are sacked for just about everything that they do wrong, even if what they do is at the express orders of a doctor. Most of the times it is actually the nurses that save the patients from the doctors (who often do 36 hour shifts) and the bed managers (who just look at the bottom line).

So although we can't say for sure that just this incident caused her to commit suicide, we can say that it was likely a very large factor.

Interesting opinion but at the same time naive. Doctors just like Nurses are subject to the same disciplinary procedures as Nurses if not more in light of the responsibility they carry. The GMC now a days are very trigger happy on initiating 'fittness to practice' procedures if there is any sniff of substandard work and rightly so. To think Doctors get away with everything in this day and age is naive and ignores the lessons learned after Shipman. Doctors are now under more shackles and are being monitored. The revalidation being one of these processes to make sure Doctors are fit to practice.

Where you think another Doctor has their back is also wrong. In hospital it's every man for himself. Noone is going to defend you if you do something negligent and especially caused someone's death. The only one defending you is yourself and medical defence unions. Only if your bosses think you have done everything you could to save someone then they might think of defending you, otherwise your responsibile for your own actions, which is correct. Nooone makes decisions for you, you do and if you don't initiate the correct actions from your bosses, then that is your problem and you will reap consequences.

In regards to your comment on 36 hour shifts, that is incorrect. As per European work directive they are only allowed to work 48 hours weeks and never 36 hours in one shift. They will at most work 12 hour shift get rest and come back 12 hours later for another shift. If you want to be pedantic, nurses actually leave on time alot more than doctors, who don't get paid hourly (permanent and non locum staff) and dont get paid Over time. How many times they stay beyond their contracted hours and don't get appreciated for it is unbelievable. Please don't turn this into Nurses vs Doctors post as this is not what the OP asked for. Both Nurses and Doctors are important and in this day and age are more scrutinized and under appreciated with poor morale and risk of reduncies for BOTH professions. NOONE is safe.

Ultimately all clinical staff are treated like numbers on a rota and not treated individually, noone cares you went that bit more over your call of duty to do x,y,z. Your just a number to HR and it's 'Your job'. Shame really. Many good people are leaving the NHS because of the conveyer belt attitude, you are easily replaced. Quantity does not lead to Quality.

[peterb]

The funny part wasn't and was never intended to be the 'humiliation' of an innocent victim. The funny part is the sheer gall of the pranksters in daring to attempt it. You think I can't believe they dared do that, that is what makes it funny.

Yes, takes a lot of gall to ring someone up anonymously from 12,000 miles away.

But I suppose it is amusing in the same way a five year old rings someone's door bell and runs away is amusing to his mates watching from a safe distance

[streetster]

Whilst I feel it's sad that someone got to the stage where they felt it was easier to take their own life than to continue living, I think that the whole accusation of causality/catalyst by the Australian DJs is a little much.

We do not know enough about the personal circumstances of the nurse in question to /know/ that this was the a) the sole reason b) a proverbial 'straw that broke the camels back' or c) completely unrelated.

Have been trying to think of a ridiculous example of causality.. hows about I push in front of a guy to get on the tube, meaning he can't get on, misses his connection, is an hour late getting home, he's done this many times before, his wife moves out, he commits suicide... Am I responsible for his death? Should I be held accountable? What if I was rushing to the hospital for the birth of my son; from my standpoint, my getting to the hospital is more important than bloke 'x' getting back to his wife... No-one can predict the outcomes of their actions. No-one at the time the prank call was made, reviewed, aired would have thought "someone might die over this".

It's not that I don't have sympathy for the nurses family, any loss is a sad one, but my point is that the way that the DJs have been hounded is rather unfair.

[Willzzz]

Yes, takes a lot of gall to ring someone up anonymously from 12,000 miles away.

But I suppose it is amusing in the same way a five year old rings someone's door bell and runs away is amusing to his mates watching from a safe distance

Anonymously? Apart from broadcasting it and having their faces in all the papers?

[Hicks12]

Anonymously? Apart from broadcasting it and having their faces in all the papers?

No, it was anonymously they released the recording several hours after doing it afaik! Doesnt take much balls for that tbh... @streetster I see your point but I would like to say that your example is a bit poor , you didnt intentially block the guy from getting on that train it isnt your fault, however if you distracted him then made him miss it then its a bit different!.

These guys had it coming to them, they always doing some stupid ass stuff to get publicity and now its blown up in their face (again!). Why cant they just have a normal radio show like most people instead of having to take the piss out of people. While I wouldnt say they should be put in prison or anything I believe they should be sacked on the basis that yes it is serious in the NHS you will most likely lose your job and its not a fun joke by any means.