Two ambulances called amidst fears of Club D drink spiking repeat
A number of students have been hospitalised after alcohol-related incidents at campus events. In the worst instance, as many as five students were taken to hospital during or soon after Derwent’s ‘Slag and Drag’ Club D event, though the exact number has not been confirmed. Initial reports of drink spiking remain unbstantiated.
Two ambulances were called to the event before 11pm by York Links, the student paramedics who provide first aid for campus events. A Derwent porter confirmed that at least two students had been taken from the event in the ambulances.
Two second years were taken to hospital shortly after the event. One was involved in an accident in which she fell while being carried on the shoulders of another student and suffered several serious cuts to her face. A second was taken after becoming seriously ill from excessive alcohol consumption.
Derwent Ents Rep Sian Thomas said the situation was unprecedented, saying, “I have been the RP [Responsible Person] for a lot of Club Ds and I’ve never had anyone taken to hospital, let alone four.”
Reports that the students taken from the event had their drinks spiked remain unconfirmed, as blood test results are confidential and not released to JCRs or college staff. Last year drinks were spiked at three consecutive Club Ds.
Confusion over the number and identities of students hospitalised has arisen as a result of York Links’ policy of keeping confidential the circumstances in which they call for ambulance support.
Derwent Welfare Rep Charlie Leyland said that the policy led to a dangerous breakdown in communication between emergency services and student welfare. She said: “It is a massive issue for welfare because it means that we don’t know if there are drinks being spiked. All we know is that somebody has been sent home in an ambulance – we don’t know when they came back, who they are, whether anybody is looking out for them and knows where they’ve been. They [the paramedics] don’t seem to tell anybody.”
In a statement, York Links’ defended the organisation’s policy saying, “The reason we don’t give out names and circumstances of patients is that we must comply with the Data Protection Act. The only way we can issue names is if the person treated signs a form releasing that information.” The issue is due to be discussed in Senate next week.
The incidents at Club D have put Derwent under scrutiny. Welfare Rep Joe Pearce denied the JCRC encourages a binge drinking culture, saying, “We don’t encourage people to do anything irresponsible.”
While feedback from first year students was largely positive, there were reports of STYCs pressuring first years into heavy drinking. One first-year Derwent student said: “Everyone in this block knows that they caused problems. They made me down a drink because they held it up and I got so wasted after that.”
Pearce confirmed that two STYCs have been formally cautioned by the JCRC for inappropriate behaviour.
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Drink from a bottle as its much harder to spike a bottle drink. Go to this website for tips on how to avoid drink spiking.
http://www.roofie.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=43
Go to this website to see how easy it is to spike a open glass even when the drinker is right next to his drink.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxJRa0VnFA
If you do drink from a bottle use the safeflo bottleguard easy to put on and its extremley hard to get it off (virtually impossible)Many police forces buy this product to hand out to drinkers.
“The reason we don’t give out names and circumstances of patients is that we must comply with the Data Protection Act.”
sort of… It is for the same reason as why ‘blood test results are confidential and not released to JCRs or college staff’… something called ‘Patient Confidentiality. Ask any medical student!
York LINKS didn’t give that comment. York LINKS would not have been authorised to comment at all.
York LINKS are not student paramedics.
Why should student welfare have the right to demand private information on every member of the college? Yorkshire ambulance service, the university health centre and York hospital and University H&S will all not disclose personal confidential information to student welfare. They have absolutely no right to know.
This article is badly written, poorly informed and full of mistakes and errors deliberatley contrived for shock value.
In reply to A’s posting, I have the following I wish to add…
I was thinking the same… though was disinclined to put it so blunt…
To A (whoever you are), Full support of your comments from me!
But since when did any news service report ‘the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’…
I feel an apology should be made to York LINKS, given that they have been unfairly slated in this article.