Plastic knife held at nurse's throat

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter

A female psychiatric nurse is on stress leave after a patient held a plastic knife to her throat.

A colleague at the Taharoto acute psychiatric unit near North Shore Hospital said it was one of several incidents involving the male patient, who had been trying to escape.

It occurred on October 23, the day after a patient in a general ward at the hospital knocked a nurse to the floor. Her face was badly bruised and two other nurses, who helped her, had their hands bitten.

It is understood the patient was brought from Te Atarau psychiatric unit at Waitakere Hospital for neurological tests. He was later taken to Taharoto's intensive care unit and held in a seclusion room.

A Waitemata District Health Board spokeswoman, Caroline Mackersey, said both incidents were being investigated, in part to see what more could be done to keep people safe.

The Taharoto colleague, who did not want to be named, said a nurse's shoulder was injured after the first patient tried to push past him through a door. He had been off work for a fortnight recuperating. The patient also scratched a nurse's arm with a plastic knife.

"There's probably eight to nine instances where he got very close to injuring staff and needed restraint to stop getting out doors. He jokingly held a knife to a male nurse. Luckily, there was another one behind him and stopped it. He passed it off but now it looks like a dress rehearsal.

"These knives are extremely sharp. They may be plastic but they are considerably dangerous in the right hands."

No other staff were nearby when the patient grabbed the female nurse, but another patient jumped on the man and forced him to the floor.

The nurse was still upset and off work on stress-related leave. The patient had now calmed down and stopped trying to escape, the colleague said.

The nurse had told police. The unit's management would not allow police to interview the patient on clinical grounds.

The colleague said Taharoto's poor design and the shortage of beds and experienced staff had contributed to the problem.

Mrs Mackersey said the organisation was very concerned when staff were threatened or attacked.

"Unfortunately incidents of violence do occur in hospitals from time to time, just as they do in the community."