Nurses attacked

[projekktor id=’22501′]

Two nurses are recovering at home after they were assaulted by a patient Wednesday morning, in a ward that treats schizophrenia.

The attack happened at about 8 a.m at the West 5th campus of St. Joseph’s hospital. The nurses were rushed to emergency but released within a couple of hours.

The union representing one of the nurses says he’s concerned about the safety of members in the hospital; but hospital staff say the incident was highly unusual and extensive safeguards are in place.

“It’s a growing concern. We’ve had funding cuts in health care, growing population in the jails, and that becomes very scary for all staff in the facility.”

“This was a completely, completely out of the blue incident. There was no apparent precursor that could be readily identified by our staff. It’s unusual of this magnitude, to have two staff physically assaulted, is a rare event.” said Dr. Peter Cook.

Dr. Cook, the lead psychiatrist in the unit that treats schizophrenic patients, said there has been no noticeable influx of patients from jail. His staff wear sophisticated alarms in case they are ever in trouble.

The 22-year-old patient involved in the attack was arrested and charged with assault. The ministry of labour is investigating.