A&E nurse speaks out over rise in violence by patients

Mr McKenna said he and his colleagues no longer feel safe at work due to the increasing number of attacks on staff working in emergency departments.

“It really has got to the stage where you’re constantly looking over your shoulder, worried about where the next attack might come from,” he said.

During the last two weeks of night duty Mr McKenna said he was on the receiving end of violent outbursts on six separate occasions.

In one attack the patient became so aggressive that he was forced to ring the police.

“We had to have the patient removed from the department,” he explained.

“When we can’t calm someone down, we call security. But their powers are quite limited, so we end up having to call the police.”

Mr McKenna, who has worked in emergency medicine for more than four years, blamed soaring waiting times for a large proportion of the violence directed at staff.

“Things have become noticeably worse over the last couple of months,” he said.

“I suppose waiting times have gone up quite significantly; with restrictions lifting, we’re seeing more people coming to emergency departments, and waits for elective surgery also mean a lot of those patients are coming in as emergencies.

“Our waiting rooms tend to be full and people are waiting much longer and they’re getting frustrated and impatient.

“We have people who expect and want to be seen straight away, there are those who are easy enough to deal with, and then there are others who become really abusive and feel they shouldn’t have to wait.

“The typical response is cursing, calling you names, swearing at you — they take pictures and videos of you, trying to intimidate you.

“Quite recently we had someone tip over a linen cage because, in her mind, she wasn’t seen quickly enough.

“We do try and calm patients down when they are becoming aggressive, we try to de-escalate the situation. It’s important that we calm these people down because it’s not good for the staff, but it’s also frightening for the other patients.

"We are a hospital and there are a lot of very vulnerable people here.

“A lot of the people who want to be seen straight away are there with things that aren’t an emergency, like a broken finger, fractured wrist or a head injury that needs closure.

“The aggression and violence are definitely the worst I have ever seen.

“People seem to feel they are entitled to access the service, no matter what, and that they should be seen straight away.”

Mr McKenna said he would like to see stronger action taken against offenders.

He added: “Staff are frequently being attacked — they’re scratched, pushed, their arms are twisted, they’re spat at...

“I’ve had coffee thrown in my face, a guy actually threw his crutches in my face and the police were there when he did it, all because he was angry as he felt he shouldn’t be discharged.

“People feel they can get away with it.

"I would like to see it so that there is a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule.

“I think a lot of people think we have a duty of care to look after them so they feel they can abuse staff all they want. But just because of that duty of care, it doesn’t mean we have to take their abuse.

“We’re doing the best we can to deal with the number of patients turning up.

“I’m a union rep and a lot of people come and talk to me about what is happening and it’s got to the stage where people are worried about their safety at work, and they’re saying it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

“I know, from my perspective, that it’s always on my mind and I’m always making sure that I don’t get stuck in a room or a corridor with someone who is then able to kick the head off me.”

The situation has become so grave that the Royal College of Nursing is holding a meeting this week to hear members’ concerns. RCN acting director Rita Devlin said: “The level of pressure being experienced, particularly in our emergency departments, is of great concern.

"Members have approached us to report increasingly aggressive and abusive behaviour towards staff in these areas.

“Employers have an absolute duty to ensure staff can work in a safe environment and the RCN will be asking employers what measures they are taking to prevent staff from being subject to verbal and physical aggression and violence.

"We would also appeal to the public to support the staff on the front line as they try to work through this difficult time.”