Union demands better security after nurse assaulted in ER ‘We are seeing violence escalating everywhere’: safety officers urged for all Manitoba hospitals
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The Manitoba Nurses Union is calling on the NDP government to put institutional safety officers in hospitals across the province to curb “escalating” violence against staff, after a nurse was attacked in Winnipeg.
The union said the nurse was “violently” assaulted by a patient in Grace Hospital’s emergency room. A Winnipeg Regional Health Authority spokesperson said police laid charges after the March 26 assault.
“I think we need lots and lots of ISOs in this province, and not just within Winnipeg,” nurses union president Darlene Jackson said. “We are seeing violence escalating everywhere in health-care facilities. ISOs have to be the norm when it comes to security.”
The WRHA spokesperson said a “debrief” took place and supports were offered to the victim of the assault at Grace Hospital.
The assault and accusations about management’s handling of the situation were reported by the union in a social media post Tuesday morning.
The nurse told the union that staff were advised to “fast-track” the patient to see a doctor to limit the amount of time they spent in the ER.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said violence against hospital staff is “incredibly underreported.”
“I think it sends a message that bad behaviour gets rewarded,” Jackson said. “The message to the nurse in this situation is you are not valuable, and we’re not going to have your back on this.”
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the patient was not fast-tracked nor prioritized.
“My understanding is that, following this incident, protocols were developed to ensure that it’s made very clear that abuse of staff will not be tolerated and that, should there be an incident of that nature, safety and security is prioritized, and should someone require medical care they will receive medical care in a safe and secure way,” the minister said.
The WRHA spokesperson said staff have the right to a respectful and safe workplace, and the authority has a legal and ethical duty to provide care to anyone who walks through its doors.
“As part of a balancing act to ensure the safety of staff and others in our facilities, a process is being used to ensure some patients who are known to have aggressive behaviour are provided care in a way that limits the amount of time they spend in our facilities while still receiving the appropriate level of care for their medical needs,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
Asagwara and Jackson condemned violence against health-care employees, and said staff should be safe at work.
Jackson said violence against staff is “incredibly underreported.”
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“Nurses just move on, go to the next room and deal with the next patient,” she said. “We just sort of bury these things. Eventually, when we look at the instances of PTSD among front-line providers, there comes a time when there’s a straw that breaks the camel’s back… and all of those incidents just bubble to the surface.”
The province said it has added 96 institutional safety officers to some health-care facilities since 2023. Health Sciences Centre’s operator, Shared Health, recently started a hiring process to bring its ranks to more than 60 officers.
In February, artificial intelligence weapon scanners were installed at the entrances to HSC’s adult and children’s emergency rooms, and the mental health crisis response centre.
Brandon Regional Health Centre welcomed 16 officers in January. Other sites include St. Boniface and Victoria hospitals, and Selkirk Mental Health Centre.
The government is hoping to hire officers for Thompson’s hospital this spring. The province has said it will hire First Nation safety officers from Long Plain First Nation to work in Portage la Prairie’s hospital.
The NDP has not announced plans to put officers in Grace Hospital. Officers have more powers and training than the hospital’s current security staff.
The officers are authorized to enforce provincial laws, make arrests, conduct seizures and accept mental-health patients who are brought in by police. They are also trained to use OC (oleoresin capsicum) pepper gel.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the government is increasing services in the community to help address issues that contribute to violence.
“We’re going to continue to work with the Grace to make sure that there are additional safety and security measures added, if needed,” Asagwara said.
Evaluations are taking place at other hospitals. Decisions on safety and security are “site dependent,” the minister said.
“We want to make sure that we take steps that meet the unique needs of every site,” they said.
Asagwara said the government is increasing services in the community to help address issues that contribute to violence. Nurses have raised concerns in the past about violence or aggression by people who are intoxicated or in a mental health crisis.
Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook cited the nurses union’s social media post in question period Tuesday, while the Opposition and government played a blame game regarding safety and security in hospitals.
Quoting the post, Cook challenged Asagwara to explain management’s response and how staff will be protected from further harm.
Cook said violent patients should not be fast-tracked or given priority over “law-abiding” patients who wait hours in the ER.
In response, Asagwara claimed cuts by the former Tory government are the reason Manitoba’s health-care system “is where it is today.”
It was the second time this week Cook raised the topic of safety and security in hospitals.
In Monday’s session of question period, the Roblin MLA tabled a letter from a nurse who pleaded for help “ASAP” to protect staff at Thompson’s hospital.
“Nurses are being abused physically, verbally, emotionally and sexually on a regular basis. The situation is worsening,” the nurse wrote.
— with files from Carol Sanders
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.
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