Seven emergency medics in England have been suspended from work for playing an Internet game that involves being photographed lying down in unusual places.
Bosses at a hospital in Swindon, western England, were angered after photographs of the doctors and nurses lying face down on resuscitation trolleys, ward floors and an air ambulance helipad were posted on social networking site Facebook. The photographs have been removed from the site and the members of the hospital’s accident and emergency staff now face a disciplinary hearing. Partipants in the “lying down game” must lie face down with the palms of their hands against their sides and the tips of their toes touching the ground. Should the medics have been suspended Send us your views There are two aims to the challenge: that the lying down should be as public as possible and that as many people as possible should be involved. But Dr. Alf Troughton, medical director of Great Western Hospital NHS Trust, was unamused by the alleged incident, which he said took place during a night shift last month. “This did not involve patients and we are satisfied that at no time was patient care compromised,” Dr. Troughton said in a statement.
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“The Great Western Hospital sets high standards for staff behaviour at all times and therefore takes any such breaches extremely seriously. It is important to reassure patients and our workforce that this was an isolated incident and staff cover was maintained at all times. “The allegations have been thoroughly investigated and seven members of staff remain suspended pending formal disciplinary hearings.”
