Drunk doctors call medics
2006-01-12 08:05
London - A gang of drunken doctors and nurses are in hot water after summoning an ambulance to take them home from a boozy birthday party, British newspapers reported on Thursday.
Staff from the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, in the English West Midlands, called in colleagues from the Shropshire Ambulance Service to dodge paying for a taxi home from the pub, The Daily Telegraph reported.
An ambulance parked up outside a British boozer is usually a sign of bloodshed, but the merry medics simply piled into the back and were sped away.
A drinker who was in the pub on Sunday said the group were hardly in the mood for one quiet drink before turning in for an early night.
"They were getting absolutely hammered," said onlooker Adam Hodson, 22, from Telford, with champagne, sambuca, beer and wine all being downed.
"The nurses weren't on duty and none of them had uniforms on. I heard a barman ask them if they wanted a taxi and one of them said, 'No, we've got one coming'.
"They didn't say it was an ambulance. It was quite a shock when it turned up.
"Some customers were bantering with them, but several people said it was outrageous," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
Shropshire Ambulance Service issued an apology and said disciplinary action was on the cards for the "very silly" behaviour.
"The relationship between ambulance and hospital staff has always been very close. Unfortunately, an evening celebration went too far and caused public offence," spokesperson Steve Parry said.
The Telegraph said the medics were also facing disciplinary action.