Staff members at Southland Hospital were attacked by a female patient but police say they were not told of the assault. Staff at Southland Hospital who witnessed the attack on Friday were said to be traumatised by it. It is understood one staff member had been watching the patient in the intensive care unit.
The female patient attacked the staff member who suffered facial damage.
The patient also went for nurses in the vicinity and it is understood she attacked a security guard before a second security guard pinned her down and she was sedated.
Southern chief medical officer Dr Nigel Millar did not answer numerous questions about the attack, other than to confirm an “incident” occurred on Friday night and the health board was supporting staff members.
“We have subsequently taken all necessary steps to maintain the safety of patients and staff,” Millar said.
An Invercargill police spokesman said police had not been contacted by anyone in relation to the matter.
He directed all queries to Southland Hospital or the Southern District Health Board.
A New Zealand Nurses Organisation union spokeswoman said it was concerned by the “violent incident”.
“We know the DHB will do a very thorough investigation and any steps that need to be taken will be taken.”
There was widespread concern about the level of violence in hospitals, she said.
“As a society we need to address our problems with alcohol and violence.”
A report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 2014 found alarming numbers of hospital workers were victims of physical and verbal violence in New Zealand hospitals.
The report found 93 per cent of hospital workers had been had experienced verbal anger from a patient in the previous year and 65 per cent had experienced some form of physical aggression.
Health professionals said too many workers in New Zealand’s hospitals were being punched, threatened and sexually assaulted by aggressive patients.
Source: The Southland Times