Hospital staff hurt in altercation

Staff safety is being placed under the microscope, after four Hutt Hospital staff members were injured during an altercation with a patient.

Three of the four staffers involved remained off-duty yesterday, following an alleged assault by a female patient who was being assessed for mental health issues on Boxing Day.

A 27-year-old Lower Hutt woman was arrested on hospital grounds.

Police have confirmed the woman was being transported by ambulance for a mental health assessment when officers were alerted to the incident at 8.20pm on December 26.

Further details, including the nature of the staffers’ injuries, were not yet known.

The woman had been charged with assault and was to appear in Hutt Valley District Court on January 10.

A hospital spokesperson said the safety and security of its staff was ‘‘paramount’’.

‘‘We have orderly security present in the hospital. Every incident is dealt with as it occurs, and appropriate action is urgently taken.’’

Wellington Free Ambulance confirmed one of its paramedics was also injured at Hutt Hospital around the same time.

However, it was unclear if the two incidents were related.

‘‘The patient was transported to Hutt Hospital. On arrival at 8.34pm, unfortunately one of our

staff members was assaulted and our vehicle sustained a broken wing mirror. These damages did not occur from the patient, but by a person with the patient,’’ a spokesperson said.

The staffer involved was back to work the following shift.

The Ministry of Health was unaware of this incident. A spokesman said it was concerning to hear of any violence towards staff.

The Hutt Hospital incident was the latest in a string of attacks involving mental health patients.

Last month, a nurse at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital suffered serious burns after a patient threw boiling water on her. It was alleged another Hillmorton patient punched a security guard in the face, breaking their nose and jaw, in the same week.

In response to these incidents and the ‘‘escalation’’ of attacks on staff at the facility, Canterbury District Health Board added two more security guards in a bid to protect staff, bringing their numbers to five.

Last August, Hutt Hospital was placed in lockdown for three hours following a family harm incident. A 35-year-old Upper Hutt man was arrested on various charges including breach of bail, police later confirmed.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation spokeswoman Hilary Graham-Smith said the safety of nurses was a growing problem nationwide.

‘‘The number of assaults that are occurring, and the severity of them is increasing. But it is either an increase in numbers or an increase in reporting.’’

The problem wasn’t only in district health boards (DHBs) but was also reported in primary care services.