Nurse seriously injured in patient’s Sydney hospital rampage

A man is alleged to have assaulted three nurses, a police officer, a security guard and a visitor to Prince of Wales Hospital during a rampage on Saturday night.

The 51-year-old patient at the Randwick hospital is alleged to have seriously injured a nurse’s leg about 8.30pm, before assaulting two other nurses and a security guard.

He also allegedly used a garbage bin to attack a 26-year-old woman attempting to shield another patient. The woman was visiting a relative at the time.

Police who were at the hospital on an unrelated matter were alerted to the incident and attempted to speak to the man, only for him to allegedly assault one of the officers.

They subdued him with a Taser, arrested him and moved him to a secure area of the facility.

The nurse who suffered a leg injury is still being treated at the hospital, while the others who were allegedly attacked did not require further medical care.

Police are investigating the incident.

A spokeswoman for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District said the authority was offering support and care to those who were injured, and there was no ongoing threat to patients or staff.

“The safety and wellbeing of our patients, staff and visitors ... are our highest priority and any form of violence in our hospitals is unacceptable,” the spokeswoman said.

Many NSW hospitals have set up dedicated mental health units within their emergency departments to mitigate violence against staff.

A recent report from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association revealed 88 per cent of respondents had experienced violence in the previous year.

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