Casualty 19/02/2011

[Rosie]

ditto

so, where do we comlain to now?

Rosie

[Jess]

Points of view?? if that is still running.
They have to address every comment

[Sue New]

I was wondering whether it would be worth raising the issue with the Medical Advisors. to see if they would consider sending a complaint, as they may have something to say about the shows own "medical researchers". I wouldn't want to tread on the HMSA's toes and do this off my own back, but perhaps someone involved in the charity would be willing to do this (if they have not done already).

I am kicking myself, as I was at my 6 month check up at Stanmore today, and didn't have the guts to mention it

Sue xx

[Purplesheep]

I found this link for Points of View: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mysv
According to the official complaints process, we can also request a further reply, by using the same web form again. I have just finished my reply to their reply:


"Thank you for your reply regarding my complaint about the portrayal of Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome (EDS) on Casualty. Unfortunately, I cannot say I was satisfied this reply and was very disappointed to receive it, as I do not feel it addressed the concerns I had voiced, nor did it show any understanding of the offence caused by this portrayal.

Firstly, It seems clear that the author of this reply has very little, if any, knowledge of EDS. First of all, EDS is not an “illness” – it is a hereditary connective tissue disorder, brought about by a genetic mutation. To suggest that those affected are somehow “ill” or “sick” is both inaccurate and offensive.

Secondly, if the point of the storyline was to illustrate the problem of addicts in A&E departments and was not supposed to represent EDS in any way, why was it necessary to mention the condition at all? In that case, surely it would have been sufficient to explain that the character had injured himself deliberately to obtain drugs, without labelling him as affected by EDS. Mentioning the condition serves no relevant purpose to the storyline. The BBC’s mission is to “inform, educate and entertain”, but in this case, it did not achieve any of these. Rather, it contributed to spreading misinformation about the nature of EDS, which will have real-life consequences for those affected by it, and exploited the condition for dramatic effect.

Thirdly, the treatment shown in the episode was not “short shrift” – in real life, reducing a patient's shoulder violently and deliberately painfully without asking for their prior consent would constitute physical assault, and the doctors responsible could face criminal charges. Because EDS is little understood (including by your medical researchers, it seems), patients are frequently accused of being fakers and often struggle to receive appropriate treatment. It is highly irresponsible of the BBC to exacerbate these problems by showing mistreatment, which is both medical misconduct and criminal, as a legitimate way of dealing with any EDS patient who frequently has to attend A&E departments.

I am afraid that both the initial offence caused by the Casualty episode as well as your subsequent reply has left me unable to enjoy the programme any longer. I will therefore no longer watch Casualty in the future and will also inform my friends and family and recommend they do the same, until I receive a more satisfactory reply."

[nemonie]

I'm off to Stanmore on Friday for a Pre-assessment day. Not sure if I'll see any of the medical advisor types there though. I think it's more to check if I can cope with the rehab - now is me ranting about the portrayal of an EDS patient on casualty going to look good or bad

There was a link in the email back to the complaints department, and you can complain again, they have a bit where you can say it is relating to an earlier complaint. I think it then gets moved higher up the complaint hierarchy system, we may even get individual condescending letters back if we do that

I think we should try and get an official HMSA and/or response from the medical advisors - I don't know about your guys, but I've never known anyone with EDS/HMS who gets the 'normal' expected kind of pain relief from morphine, never mind the high that an addict would be looking for. It's certainly nothing that would make me dislocate my shoulder and then go to A&E, sit around and be condescended at by nurses and doctors, have yet another pointless X-ray, then have a delightful reduction with a bit of morphine - yeah soo worth it

I have heard of doctors claiming that EDS or HMS dosn't cause any pain though, so maybe these are the types of medical advisor's that the BBC has access to

Woo go purplesheep - ace reply

[serenity79]

The BBC must have only replied to a certain number of complaints or something, I definitely requested a reply and have still heard nothing, despite complaining the night Casualty was shown. I agree that there should be some sort of official complaint sent from the HMSA, this might give it a bit of gravitas.

Purplesheep, that reply was excellent.

Edited to add: The only time I have had morphine was last year when I was in hospital, and I certainly didn't get any kind of 'high' from it, in fact apart from a very slight reduction in pain I felt absolutely nothing. So I'm certainly not going to harm myself in order to go chasing a hit any time soon.

[dragondee]

Next step is complain to Offcom

www.ofcom.org.uk

will be writing in myself soon.
If they get enough complaints and agree with us the BBC will have to screen an apology.
Dragondee

[kayle_d]

I found the episode on youtube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SemQYCxE ... re=related

I never knew I would get morphine for my joints dislocating... and all this time I've been putting them back in at home..

[Itigo]

Thanks for that, I'm abroad so couldn't watch on Iplayer. It is bad. It almost implies that that's what everyone with EDS does, as she says that as almost an explanation for the frequent flyer comment. Utter poo.

[Eloise]

I hope someone can tell me from experience - but in my training I have been told that if you are taking morphine for pain relief then you don't get a euphoric effect unless the dose is well above and beyond that needed for the pain relief! You can get hallunciantions, drowiness and wooziness but you don't get eurphoria as the pain prevents this.

Hence actually having something as painful as a dislocated shoulder and the pain to relocate it would prevent the "high" the junkie was supposedly asking for.

I guess their medical advisor is under the impression that our dislocations don't hurt as we have them so often!

[dragondee]

Anyone on twitter?
I'm not so don't know if one of us can send a link to this forum to Sunetra Sarker (she plays Zoe) to let her know how angry we all are with her character for the comment.

Dragondee

[Chloe♥]

^ I've @ed it to her... but she's only done 6 tweets and the latest was on the 15th of Feb saying "stop following me I'm on holiday" so I don't think that's a goer...

I'm struggling to write a new complaint... I want to, but it's not really happening... any help?

[Triality]

I don't know... this whole thing makes me incoherently furious.

And quite apart from anything else, I'm already ON morphine and oxycodone as a regular prescription from my GP, so they don't actually give me *anything* at A&E when I have to go in, except sometimes laughing gas while they do the reductions...

Sorry if I'm not very clear. Had another visit there tonight, actually- knee twisted & subluxated, and I can't bend more than 45 degrees forward 'cause my spine tries to subluxate, so had to go get it put back... the most frustrating thing is that they usually relocate it when they manipulate it for X-ray, so the latest triage doc doesn't see that it was ever really out... *faceplant*

[Purplesheep]

I just called up BBC Audience Services because I hadn't heard back after sending a second complaint (which I posted above). I was told that the complaint had been escalated and was now with a technical adviser, but they weren't sure how long it would take to get another reply. I was also given a case number.
Has anyone else complained again?

[nemonie]

You've just reminded me that I need to.