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Memorial held for the UK nurse

Saturday, December 15, 2012 » 01:48pm


 
 
 
 

The Hospital at the centre of the Royal prank hoax has held a memorial service for Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who took her own life.

Friends and family gathered for the service and held a candlelit vigil. In a statement released at the memorial service, King Edward VII Hospital said it had offered support to Ms Saldanha in the aftermath of the hoax call.

The hospital stressed Ms Saldanha was not subject to any disciplinary procedure and that there had been no criticism of her. The comments come after claims in The Guardian that Ms Saldanha left three notes, one of which criticised staff at the hospital.

The hospital said it could not comment on the contents of the notes found in Ms Saldhana's room in the nurses accommodation because it had not seen them.

The statement said: 'There have been reports today about the alleged contents of one of the notes found in Jacintha's room. No-one at the hospital has seen these notes, and so we cannot comment on the reports or

their accuracy.'

It added: 'Following the hoax call, hospital management offered her their support and told her that they considered her the victim of a cruel hoax. They stood by her actions, and made it clear there was no criticism of

her, and that there would be no disciplinary action of any kind.'

The hospital held a memorial service to allow friends and colleagues to pay their respects, a week after Ms Saldanha's death.

Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of the hospital, which has a long history of treating members of the royal family, insisted the hospital had been in contact with the family since Ms Saldanha's death and staff were helping

police to determine what had happened.

Ms Saldhana killed herself just days after answering a prank telephone call from Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig to the hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning

sickness.

The DJs from the station 2DayFM pretended to be Prince Charles and the Queen and were asking for an update on her health. Ms Saldanha put them through to the ward where the duchess was being treated.

The inquest into the 46-year-old nurse's death opened on Thursday. It heard Ms Saldhana was found in her room in the nurses accommodation close to the hospital. She had hanged herself and there were also marks

on her wrists.

The mother-of-two left three notes: two were found in her room and the other among her personal possessions.

As many as 12 staff from the radio station have been moved to safehouses after death threats to the radio hosts and 10 executives have been given bodyguards.

Australian police have launched an investigation into the threats and have seized a letter sent to Mr Christian warning him there were 'bullets out there with your name on it'.

Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of the radio station, said: 'The safety of our employees is an absolute priority. We have sensible measures in place, as we always do, to ensure our people are safe.'