Jacintha Saldanha: Kate Prank Nurse Criticized Hospital Staff in Suicide Note
Jacintha Saldanha's death has left many in her family searching for answers, but new information allegedly obtained from one of three suicide notes could finally shed some light on her tragic suicide.
Saldanha, 46, was the British nurse on the receiving end of the infamous Kate Middleton prank call which subsequently led to her death. New claims suggest that the mother of two had criticized senior hospital staff over her treatment after the incident prior to taking her own life, Daily Mail reported.
"One of the letters, which is the longest, deals with the hospital and is critical in its tone. Needless to say, [Saldanha's husband] wants a full inquiry into what happened and he wants to make sure the truth comes out," a source close to the family reportedly told the Daily Mirror. "Within the letter, Jacintha calls into question some of the treatment she received at the hospital."
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Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian of Sydney radio station 2Day FM have been widely lambasted over the prank which led to Saldanha's suicide, although critics now question whether the blame has been misplaced.
Greig and Christian posed as the Queen and Prince Charles during the prank call to King Edward VII Hospital in an attempt to obtain personal information about the Duchess of Cambridge. She had been admitted there on Dec. 3 after developing hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy.
An unsuspecting Saldanha, described by her bosses as an exemplary employee, assumed that she was speaking to the Queen of England, and immediately transferred the call to Middleton's personal nurse. That nurse then divulged personal details about the Duchess' condition.
Two days after news of the apparent security breach made headlines, Saldanha was found dead near her workplace. Critics immediately began placing blame on Greig and Christian, who have since expressed sorrow and regret.
"This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore. We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and we are now reviewing our telephone protocols," John Lofthouse, chief executive at the hospital, said in a statement prior to Saldanha's death.
The hospital insists that Saldanha had been receiving support following the hoax, and described her as an "excellent" and "well-respected" nurse.
"It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, Jacintha Saldanha. Jacintha has worked at the King Edward VII's Hospital for more than four years. She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues," the statement read.
"We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time," the statement added.
