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New Zealand’s largest nurses’ union fear it will take a fatality before the safety of hospital workers is prioritised.
On Monday, a nurse was attacked as she walked to work at Christchurch Hospital.
Police are seeking two people on an electric scooter.
National Nurses Organisation president AnneDaniels told NZME this morning she feared it would take a fatality before the safety of nurses working at the hospital was given priority.
The attack follows the violent assault of a young midwife as she left her shift at the Waipapa birthing unit on Antigua Street.
The attack was not on campus but Te Whatu Ora confirmed that the victim was a unit staffer.
This afternoon Te Whatu Ora’s group director of operations in Christchurch Hamish Brown responded to requests for comment. The organisation had previously refused to speak about the assualt citing the police investigation.
"The safety of our staff is a top priority – whether they are at work or getting to and from work," Brown said.
“We have increased security measures on the Christchurch Hospital campus, including additional security patrols at night, and we are considering further measures.
“This incident is being taken very seriously and... we are supporting the staff member involved and working with police.
“Any violence and aggression towards our staff and others is unacceptable.”
Daniels said the incidents reflected an escalation of female health workers being attacked, assaulted, and abused.
“The fact is that under the Health and Safety and Employment Act, the employer is absolutely required to provide a safe work environment,” she said.
“And the fact is that nurses have been calling for safe car parking close or nearby to, the places of work for many, many years without any action.
“And it is very clear to me that they [Te Whatu Ora] are failing, and any other employer who’s not acting on the health and the violence and abuse issues in the workplace are failing the people that are working for them - and that has to change.”
New Zealand Nurses Organisation president Anne Daniels. Photo / Supplied
Police are investigating reports of the assault on the woman on Hagley Avenue, near the hospital, on Monday night - confirming it happened at about 8.20pm.
“The woman was walking to work and was hit in the back by two people on an electric scooter,” a police spokesperson said.
Earlier today Te Whatu Ora Health NZ said: “We cannot comment further at this stage as it’s been referred to police”.
Daniels was disappointed that the organisation had not spoken out after the attack.
“They could comment on general ideas about what they think that they need to do about it because it’s been going on for years and they don’t seem to have a plan of action - that is just totally inexcusable,” she said.
“Unfortunately, Te Whatu Ora has got a pattern of behaviour that demonstrates that they wait until they are absolutely pushed to do anything.”
Kurawaka Waipapa Birthing Unit in Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
A shuttle is also provided from Christchurch Hospital to a paid parking site nearby.
Daniels said it would take more than that to solve the issue.
“[Te Whatu Ora] are supposed to protect us, and they’re not doing that ... So that has to change,” she said.
“We have to have action now ... sorry, security is not going to do it.
“[Security guards] may be anywhere in the campus and they may not be able to respond.
“So you just imagine after, working an eight, 10 or 12-hour day and you’re absolutely exhausted and all you want to do is go home, but you’re being told that you have to wait for another half an hour to an hour for somebody to escort you to the car or wait for the shuttle to turn up.
“And the shuttle may not even go to where your car is parked because there is no staff car parking. So the employees, the nurses, the doctors, and everyone else just start walking. And this is just not acceptable.
“They, the employer is required to keep us safe. So they have to do something about it.”
Christchurch Hospital. Photo / George Heard
She said the solution was not difficult.
“It’s pretty simple and in this case, we need to have safe staff car parking next door to the hospital facility,” she said.
Daniels said the issue of violence against nurses was a gendered issue.
“We are being treated very, very differently just because we’re women. It’s that simple,” she said.
“We’ve had nurses strangled. We’ve had nurses beaten up on the job. We’ve had nurses stalked.
“Police are responding to family violence every two minutes, but if you’re a woman and you’re in a healthcare, workplace, there is no such response or any kind of national campaign to actually stop violence and abuse in the workplace.
“I’m calling on a national campaign, just like we had the family violence legislation with the infrastructure to go with it, to be enacted by the politicians and employers in this country.
“And the fact is that we have to have it before somebody dies, and we have to get this started.”
