Hospital security staff get camera vests after nurse strangled and staff assaults
New Zealand Sept 7 2018 Security staff at Waitemata District Health Board are being issued camera vests after a surge in reported violence including a nurse being strangled and staff members being punched in the face and one needing surgery after an assault.
A review is under way after 186 aggression incidents were reported by staff in June – an average of six attacks a day – up from 45 in June last year.
But Waitemata DHB says there has been no increase and the spike noted in the August Board report was due to “additional reporting”.
However, several unions the Herald spoke to yesterday confirmed the severity of the issue, saying the “DHB are not taking it seriously enough”.
Some of the incidents the unions described from the past six months at North Shore Hospital and Waitakere Hospital included:
- A nurse being strangled by a patient.
- A staff member needing surgery after being seriously injured by a patient.
- A security guard breaking his leg trying to de-escalate a violent patient.
- A patient punching five staff members at North Shore Hospital’s ED.
- Patients punching holes in walls.
