A JUNIOR nurse has resigned from the Calvary Mater Hospital after being assaulted in a violent incident in the emergency department.
Three other nurses who came to her aid were also injured.
Hospital insiders say the patient was aggressive and agitated when he was placed in sub-acute care without close supervision, in a back corner of the ED, when he should have been placed in a resuscitation bay or in acute care with proper supervision and "somewhere that there's space to escape from".
The 32-year-old patient lashed out at a junior female nurse, then two other female nurses. Their screams attracted the attention of a male nurse who also ran down to provide assistance but he was also assaulted.
A spokesman for the Hunter New England Health Service disputed that version of events saying that the patient was calm on arrival.
He said the four nurses sustained minor injuries and were immediately assessed by the emergency department medical team. They were then referred to general practitioners for further treatment, and offered counselling through the employee assistance program, he said.
"Thanks to the quick actions of staff and security officers, the situation was quickly controlled and no one else was injured," the spokesman said.
The District has a zero tolerance policy to aggression and violence and Calvary Mater Newcastle has processes in place to respond to incidents and de-escalate them quickly to ensure the safety of our staff, patients and visitors, the spokesman said in a statement.
"As the case is now a police matter we cannot provide any further comment at this time."
Newcastle police said they were called at 8pm on Tuesday, April 26, about a patient who had become "irritable and punched four nursing staff" before being restrained by security staff. Their inquiries are continuing.
The first junior nurse to be attacked in the incident quit a few days later, on Friday, April 29.
The general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, Brett Holmes, said the incident was distressing on many levels.
"Nurses must not be expected to put their lives on the line while they are caring for patients," Mr Holmes said.
"Nurses should not be going to work at risk of being assaulted or abused. Any act of violence or aggression towards frontline staff is totally unacceptable - it must stop."
Mr Holmes said the pandemic had put additional pressure on nurses across all areas of the health system.
"Proper resourcing including the introduction of one nurse to every three treatment spaces would go a long way to making it a safer place for patients and nurses," he said.
The incident follows close on the heals of changes to legislation prompted by the NSW Sentencing Council's report on assaults on emergency services workers.
The changes included the creation of new offences for assaulting front line health workers to help protect paramedics and hospital staff, and which could land an offender in jail for up to 14 years.
The new offence of assaulting frontline workers expands on the penalties that already apply for assaulting police and other law enforcement officers.
In welcoming the new laws, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said front lines workers committed their working lives to save their lives and any assault upon them was appalling.
"No one deserves to be assaulted, whatever the circumstances, but anyone who commits a violent attack on health professionals trying to care for them is committing an appalling crime," Mr Hazzard said.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said the state's frontline emergency workers have dealt with some difficult challenges in the past two years.
"Our front line health workers, emergency services staff, and correctional and youth justice officers often face risks as they bravely serve our community," Mr Speakman.
"Those who perpetrate disgraceful acts of violence on these dedicated individuals should face stringent consequences."
The Sentencing Council's report pointed to research which suggests that health workers experience a high rate of violence, with one study finding that 24 per cent of nurses and midwives in NSW had experienced a physical assault during their careers.
It has also been reported that the number of violent incidents in NSW hospitals has been increasing in recent years, the report said.
"Suggested reasons for this include increased overcrowding in hospitals, reduced staff to patient ratios, and increased patient presentations relating to drug and/or alcohol use."
Members of the Health Services Union (HSU) and the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association have said the "under-reporting" of work place violence is an ongoing issue.
