Assaults at hospital spark call for provincial action
Two unions that represent workers at Coquitlam’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital are sounding the alarm over a recent spike in assaults, blaming management for a “systemic failure” to respond.
The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union said that there have been 21 staff injuries committed by patients to its members alone, between May and August of this year.
“The management in this facility are treating this particular forensic hospital as an experiment, on treating patients without the presence of security and without the protections that we consider essential,” said Paul Finch, BCGEU’s treasurer.
The B.C. Nurses’ Union said three violent assaults against their members have happened this month.
The group said on Aug. 23 that a nurse was hospitalized after being “assaulted with multiple blows to the head,” causing bruises and psychological trauma. Another incident resulted in a concussion, and the third assault sent a nurse to the emergency room.
In April, a health-care worker represented by the BCGEU was strangled to the point of unconsciousness. The RCMP was called in.
According to Finch, the management of the facility were at first not willing to report that incident to WorkSafeBC
“It seems like they don’t care,” Finch said.
The union has now sent their concerns to B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix in the hopes of fast-tracking a response.
In 2016, Postmedia News reported that the psychiatric-services commission was fined $171,000 because of dangerous conditions. In the last five years 57 safety orders were filed, showing “a chronic pattern of the employer not responding,” Finch added.
“There’s a higher level of security in any other hospital or ER, with potentially less-aggressive patients, than this facility. We’re currently at a breaking point here.”
The Provincial Health Services Authority said they don’t have safety officers in the units at all times, because they believe it can lead to patients becoming anxious and possibly more aggressive.
“We’ve been working with an expert to invest even further in staff training and safety, and solidify a therapeutic and relational security approach across the hospital, which is designed to meet the unique needs of staff who work with high-risk patients,” said Connie Coniglio, chief operating officer at the B.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Services, in a statement.
The statement also added that the PHSA has recently taken steps to increase staff safety at the facility.