Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that NHS workers must be allowed to do their job without fear of violence after a nurse was stabbed in an accident and emergency department.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the nurse, a woman in her 50s, was left in a critical condition at the Royal Oldham Hospital at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police said.
A member of the public is believed to have attacked the nurse with a sharp instrument which was not a knife, the police statement added.
“Nurses are the backbone of our NHS and should be able to care for patients without fear of violence.
Serious Injuries
The woman suffered serious injuries which are believed to be life changing, and remains in hospital for treatment.
A 37-year-old man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody, police said, adding that no other individuals are being sought in connection with the attack.
“Our thoughts are with her, her family and friends.”
Pritchard thanked all those who acted “so quickly” to help those involved in the “terrible assault,” adding: “Our staff deserve the right to come to work – to help others – without fear of being harmed.
‘Truly Shocking’
Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive Nicola Ranger said in a statement, “This attack on a nurse is truly shocking and our thoughts are with the victim, her family and colleagues.“Nursing staff go to work to care for others and have every right to do so without the fear of violence. All employers have a duty to keep their staff safe and authorities must ensure those endangering healthcare professionals face the full force of the law.”
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which is responsible for the hospital, said its priority was to support the nurse after the “frightening” attack.
Chief nursing officer Heather Caudle said in a statement: “We are incredibly shocked and saddened by last night’s incident and our focus is on supporting the colleague involved and their family.
“Our thoughts are also with colleagues and patients who were there at the time of the incident and for whom this has been distressing and frightening.”
She added that all services at the Royal Oldham Hospital remain open and that the trust is assisting police with the investigation.
Increase in Patient Violence
The 2023 NHS Staff Survey found that over one in four workers reported that they experienced at least one incident of harassment, bullying, or abuse from patients or other members of the public in the past year.Almost one in six (14 percent) said they had experienced an incident of physical violence, with analysis of the figures done by ITN showing a 21 percent rise in assaults against nurses between 2019 and 2023.
The association said it expects more than 5,000 incidents will be reported from the winter months of December, January, and February, with more than 2,000 expected from December 2024 alone.
It said alcohol plays a major part in assaults against ambulance staff, followed by drugs and people in mental health crisis.
