Saldanha’s bosses intended to have a ‘chat’ with her

Jacintha Saldanha. Photo: AFP

Jacintha Saldanha was “highly traumatised” by the media coverage of the hoax call controversy, and had been “due to speak to her managers” at King Edward VII hospital before she died in apparent suicide, according to media reports quoting hospital sources.

The hospital insisted that Ms. Saldanha was “not disciplined’’ or subjected to any “significant interview” over her handling of the call that led to medical details of Kate William, the Duchess of Cambridge, being revealed to two Australian DJs who telephoned posing as the Queen and Prince Charles.

However, her bosses intended to have “a chat [with her] at some point,”

The Sunday Times said.

After the incident which made international headlines amid reports that the royal couple were extremely upset, Ms. Saldanha was reportedly asked how she came to transfer the call to the ward nurse. Apparently, the drill is that when the reception is closed for the night the duty nurse is only supposed to take down phone messages — and not transfer any calls.

“She was telephoned about it and asked what had happened and she explained. She was traumatised by it and by the media coverage afterwards. The hospital was working hard to support her. But I don’t think anyone realised how traumatised she was. There was a plan to have a chat [with her] at some point,” one hospital source told the paper.

It said that Ms. Saldanha may have felt that she “had broken hospital rules, unwittingly assisting a colleague in breaching the Duchess’s medical confidentiality and bringing shame on herself and her employer.”

“Her colleague, who has not been named, is also said to have been incredibly upset,” the report said.