Assaults alarm nurses at psychiatric hospital

Two unions that represent workers at Coquitlam’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital are sounding the alarm over a 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 for assistance.

According to Finch, the management of the facility were at first not willing to report that incident to WorkSafe B.C.

“It seems like they don’t care,” Finch said.

The union has sent their concerns to B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix in the hopes of fasttracking a response.

The Provincial Health Services Authority said in a statement it doesn’t have safety officers in the units at all times, because they believe it can lead to patients becoming anxious and possibly more aggressive. It added that the PHSA has recently taken steps to increase staff safety.