Interior Health Responds to Claims of Staff Safety in Wake of Recent Attacks

Interior Health has responded to concerns of staff safety by the BC Nurses’ Union after another assault incident took place over the weekend.

A nurse was assaulted by a patient at the Hillside Centre in Kamloops, in which she was grabbed and punched by a patient. Interior Health CEO Dr. Robert Halpenny issued the following statement regarding concerns from the BCNU.

"Interior Health is committed to providing the safest working environment possible for all of our health care staff. Unfortunately there was an incident involving one of our nurses at Hillside Centre over the weekend. I understand this incident occurred while two nurses were administering medication to a patient. It is very early in the incident review and out of respect for our employee, who has not yet discussed the incident with her supervisor; I will not be able to provide further details.

"Hillside Centre is our most advanced health facility in the region for providing treatment for individuals with complex mental health conditions. Our sickest and most vulnerable patients end up here. Providing treatment for them is a complex job, and my thoughts are with those who are injured while on the frontlines providing care. We do our best to provide education, hands on training and a variety of tools, but it is impossible to remove all the risks to staff when we need to touch people to provide care.

"I am grateful for the continued working relationship with the BC Nurses Union and for their strong advocacy for safety in the workplace. I spoke with BCNU President Gayle Duteil yesterday, and I appreciate the concerns she has for her members. Interior Health will continue to work together with WorkSafe BC and all of our unions to complete investigations, and identify best practices to keep physicians, our staff and patients safe."

BCNU President Gayle Duteil says the Union has repeatedly requested health authorities to take immediate action to provide greater safety to nurses, but that has yet to happen.

“This is an issue that should be a concern for all people in BC. We all need safe patient care,” said Duteil.

This is the second incident to take place in the Interior Region in which a medical staff member has been attacked by a patient. On Friday a doctor in Penticton was attacked and badly injured by a patient while conducting a routine interview.