Health-care aide ‘choked out’ by patient in HSC’s emergency department

The head of the Manitoba Nurses Union says a health-care aide was choked by a patient accessing mental-health services at Winnipeg’s largest hospital last weekend.

Union president Darlene Jackson said the aide and a nurse were assaulted while sitting with the patient in the Health Sciences Centre emergency department Sunday.

“As one nurse described it, the health-care aide was choked out,” she said Friday.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara’s office confirmed the incident on Friday in an emailed statement.

Two Winnipeg Police Service officers were at the hospital at the time, and incident safety officers working at the facility were on scene and responded immediately during the subsequent assault on a unit assistant, the statement said.

“I’m relieved that no one sustained serious physical injuries and want to thank all the staff, ISOs, and police officers who acted quickly and professionally to protect patients and colleagues,” Asagwara said in the statement.

“Health-care workers should always feel safe doing their jobs, and we’re strengthening supports to make sure of that. We also know that most people in mental-health crisis are seeking help, not harm, and it’s alarming when violence occurs.”

A Shared Health spokesperson called the incident “deeply concerning.”

”We are ensuring (the nurse and aide) have access to the support and resources they may need as they recover from this distressing experience,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Jackson said a “qualified person” such as a security guard or institutional safety officer should have been assigned to the patient, not a nurse.

There aren’t enough qualified personnel to meet the demand, leaving nurses and other staff members in unsafe situations they aren’t trained to handle, she said.

While nurses can sit with mental-health patients when there’s no sign of escalation or violence, Jackson said that clearly wasn’t the case this time.

Jackson said she did not know the details of the patient’s medical condition.

“Clearly, from the result, there needed to be someone other than a nurse and a unit assistant,” she said. “It’s very unpredictable. I always think you need to err on the side of caution.”

Jackson added violent incidents have become an everyday occurrence at HSC, making them increasingly difficult to track.

The attack happened nearly two weeks before city police are slated to begin around-the-clock patrols of the hospital’s busy emergency department — a move announced by Asagwara in September in response to increasing levels of violence.

Jackson said she hopes that plan is still on track.

“We haven’t heard anything from the province since the announcement was made,” she said. “Is it still happening? We are asking that. Nurses are waiting for that. The front-line staff at HSC are waiting for it to happen. There are going to be some very disappointed individuals if it doesn’t happen.”

Asagwara’s office said officers will be stationed at HSC beginning Nov. 1.

“We continue to work closely with Shared Health, hospital leadership, and law enforcement partners to strengthen safety measures in health-care settings and ensure staff have the support they need,” the statement said.

In addition to funding two full-time uniformed police officers, the province has committed to installing five weapon-detection scanners at each of HSC’s main public entrances.

MNU members at HSC voted in August to “grey list” the hospital because of ongoing safety concerns. The vote followed a series of sexual assaults involving four women and a teenage girl on or near the hospital grounds on July 2. Grey listing advises current and prospective union members to avoid working at a facility because of unsafe or inappropriate conditions.

“So far, this employer and the province have done nothing to address the grey listing,” Jackson said. “We are still waiting for them to come forward with solutions to follow up on our recommendations. It seems like these violent incidents are happening more and more often, and that nurses are not being listened to. It’s such a shame.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca