30 suspended over porn email probe
Feb 26 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal
UP to 30 hospital staff have been suspended in an ongoing probe into the sending of obscene emails.
The nurses and ward clerks at hospitals across Newcastle are on “gardening leave” while the eight-month-long investigation by bosses at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continues.
The probe began after a pornographic image of an elderly woman, taken from an X-rated foreign website, was distributed to staff at the city’s Freeman Hospital.
It is believed staff working on a ward for elderly patients at the Freeman had been looking at the image on work computers.
But the investigation has spread to other hospitals in the city after staff forwarded the offensive email. The trust manages Newcastle General, Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary hospitals.
Ian Daley, regional officer for public sector union Unison, said: “The emails were offensive and inappropriate in a hospital environment. We certainly do not condone the sending of offensive emails, especially as they could have been witnessed by patients and visitors to the hospital.
“Some of the staff suspended are Unison members, but by no means all. People who forwarded on the emails have been suspended. Anybody who received one and deleted it would not face disciplinary action.”
Last year four healthcare workers were sacked when the email first surfaced. Originally nine members of staff were suspended, but more staff have been suspended from Newcastle General, the RVI and the Freeman hospitals as the investigation progressed.
Mr Daley said he believed around 30 workers had been suspended in total.
John Berry, secretary of the North East Pensioners’ Association, said: “I find this sort of thing very disturbing, especially as in my experience health workers are normally very good with the elderly.
“But elderly patients will be very distressed to know that this sort of thing has been happening in our hospitals.”
Nobody from the trust was available to comment yesterday despite several calls from The Journal.
A spokeswoman had said previously: “The trust has a zero-tolerance policy in relation to obscene material.
“The investigation is continuing and further disciplinary action does appear to be an inevitable consequence.”
