The union representing nurses in British Columbia requests more action on security at the workplace, after a recent attack on a nurse in Langley Memorial hospital.
A person was arrested during the March 8 incident which, according to the police, involved a “bordered weapon”. The nurse, who was not a member of the union, did not have serious injuries.
But the president of the British Columbia nurses’ union, Adriane, said that violence in health care establishments is increasing, and it is necessary to ensure safety.
“There are about 46 serious assaults per month, and when I say” serious “, I classify this as requiring a working time complaint from Worksafebc,” said Gear.
“And that does not take into account all the almost accidents of violence which perhaps cause physical or psychological injuries which do not necessarily require a complaint.”
Get health news on health
Receive the latest medical information and health information provided to you every Sunday.
One of the nursing concerns is the lack of system to communicate the risk of violence between hospitals or health authorities if a patient has already caused problems.
Gear said nurses are also sufficiently concerned, it is not made to keep weapons outside health care establishments.
“You would not be allowed to bring a lively object or a weapon in a plane, and I really think that we must adopt the same philosophy, that there must be a safe place for patients to be locked up and then returned to patients when they leave the establishment,” she said.
The Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, described the incident of the Langley hospital “terrifying situation”, the addition of security in hospitals has remained an “absolute priority”.
She said the province has hired the equivalent of 750 full -time “relational security” officers on 30 sites since 2022.
These officers have “specific training on the identification of aggressive behavior, helping to defuse and helping to create a safe workspace,” she said.
“We have chosen these sites in partnership with the HAD and the nursing union.”
Osborne said that weapons are already strictly prohibited in hospitals and that the province is working with health authorities to ensure that these policies are followed.
Gear said that if the union supports the program of relational security agents, most staff are grouped in major areas with rural facilities and often left to count on the RCMP which can be stationed far.
“In some of these small communities, the RCMP response time is significant,” she said.
Osborne said people who experience violence during employment must report incidents so that health authorities have the data they need to properly deploy security.
But she added that the province has remained determined to also improve the prevention and security of violence.
“With the nursing union, we will expand this program,” she said.
& Copy 2025 Global News, A Division of Corus Entertainment Inc.