Palmerston North Hospital staff call for more security after violent attacks

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation says Palmerston North Hospital staff have raising concerns about staff parking for months.

• A Palmerston North Hospital nurse was held at gunpoint, and another staff member was knocked unconscious.
• Hospital staff report daily abuse and assaults, calling for security guards to have restraining powers.
• They seek better lighting, improved security cameras, and a secure carpark to enhance safety.

By Jimmy Ellingham of RNZ

A Palmerston North Hospital staff member was knocked unconscious on the same night as another nurse was held up at gunpoint when she left work.

Hospital senior staff say not a day goes by without a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nurses-union-calls-nationwide-strike-over-pay-dispute-with-health-nz/4GXSVSIMPJA2VMAYCEP3BGMZCM/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nurses-union-calls-nationwide-strike-over-pay-dispute-with-health-nz/4GXSVSIMPJA2VMAYCEP3BGMZCM/">health worker getting abused or assaulted, and staff are feeling frightened and unsafe.

They want security guards to have additional powers so - as happens in courts and at Parliament - they can restrain people acting violently.

Hospital staff were shocked at what happened to the nurse held at gunpoint, but perhaps not surprised.

NZ Nurses Organisation delegate David Goldstone said, on the same night, another colleague suffered a serious head injury.

“There was a [staff] member inside the hospital who was knocked out,” he said.

“He won’t be returning to work.

“There was also another one last week, when a guard was assaulted. It happens every day.

“I’ve been there 22 years and nothing’s changed in 22 years towards aggression - there are no consequences. People think they can get away with it, and come and do whatever they like.”

Fellow organisation delegate Dorothy Mostofian further outlined the reality to frontline healthcare workers.

“There’s not a single shift in the entire hospital when anyone goes home at the end of their shift and goes: ‘I didn’t get spat at, things thrown at me, verbally assaulted, haven’t had any threats against my life and I haven’t felt like someone’s following me’.

“I don’t think a single nurse, healthcare assistant or doctor in the entire hospital could actually say that.”

Last month a man jumped into a nurse’s car, when she finished her shift late at night, pointed a gun at her and told her to drive.

She managed to escape the car unharmed to raise the alarm. Police said their investigation into the incident was continuing.

Mostofian said even the recent security boost for emergency departments hadn’t made a huge impact.

“Those security guards are also still being taken away to areas in the rest of the hospital when they are needed, so we don’t have a security guard 24-7 in the department,” she said.

“Even when they are there, they have no power to do anything.”

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists delegate Dr Thomas Carter said staff may stop coming to work, if they felt continually at risk.

“It makes it quite difficult when you don’t have any support coming and you know it’s going to be minutes, hours, days until you can get this problem sorted out, and you’ve got a potentially violent person who’s potentially unwell.

“We can’t necessarily restrain them and hold them down. We don’t have that skillset.”

After the nurse was threatened at gunpoint, the hospital said it boosted security, with two extra guards who could escort workers to and from their cars.

Staff were also allowed to shift cars closer to the building later in the day, but in practice, often didn’t have time for this. Instead, they would pair up to walk to their vehicles or get partners to pick them up from the entrance.

Nurses organisation delegate Victoria Richards said buddying up or getting a security escort wasn’t always possible, as people finished shifts at different times.

“[Two guards] doesn’t go far enough at all,” she said. “We’ve got a big space, we’ve got a lot of workers.”

Staff would like better lighting, improved security cameras and a secure carpark only they could access. They’ve met with Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere to discuss this, and more broadly their safety concerns and wish to empower security staff.

“I’ve given them an undertaking that I will seek to engage direct with Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ locally here, as I do on a range of other issues from week to week,” Utikere said.

“I’ll be putting to them what it is they have in place to support the health and wellbeing of their workers.”

Health NZ MidCentral operations group director Sarah Fenwick said it was committed to making staff feel safer and recognised the gunpoint incident, which didn’t happen on hospital grounds, was unsettling.

Fenwick said the staff member involved was receiving support and a range of measures were immediately introduced to boost staff safety. These included the security escort to vehicles, increasing security services on hospital grounds, and “opening up” access to the staff carpark for people working afternoon and night shifts.

“Lighting has been audited in all outside carparking areas to ensure it is well maintained,” she said.

“Interim access to well-lit parking onsite, with dedicated security for staff working afternoon and night shifts, will continue, while a more permanent solution for out-of-hours carparking is developed.”