Nurse stabbed in an after-hours callout in late December
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is considering the use of stab-proof vests and personal alarms after a nurse was stabbed during an after-hours callout in late December.
Mitchell McLaughlan, NZNO mental health nurse and delegate, said they have requested a review of the stabbing incident with the management of Te Whatu Ora.
"We want to discuss whether extra security measures such as personal alarms or stab-proof vests should be worn from now on by nurses and kaiāwhina working in mental health," McLaughlan said in a statement.
The stabbing incident occurred on December 28, when the nurse was called during an after-hours callout to the Rotorua suburb of Ngongotahā.
The nurse, who was part of the Te Whatu Ora Lakes' acute mental health response team, sustained stab wounds in her arms, the New Zealand Herald reported at the time.
She has since received surgery after the incident, and is now recovering at home, according to the NZNO.
McLaughlan described the stabbing as a random event, but noted that violence cases have become more frequent over the past years.
"We are seeing escalating aggressive behaviours in the community," he said. "More members of our society are presenting as highly distressed due to their social and financial situations, increased drug use along with a swell in anti-social behaviours."
The NZNO and the Public Service Association are now calling for a full investigation by Te Whatu Ora and WorkSafe, as well as the case's referral to the Health Quality Safety Commission.
Helen Garrick, NZNO Mental Health Nurses Section chair, said Te Whatu Ora should determine ways to enhance safety for all its staff.
"Stab-proof vests and alarms may not have resulted in a different outcome and we don't want knee-jerk solutions," Garrick said. "We also shouldn't accept that nurses have to deal with such a level of violence they need stab-proof vests."
Healthcare workers and other frontline employees have been on the receiving end of rising customer aggression over the past years, driving some of them to leave their industries amid safety concerns.
In New Zealand, where retail crime puts frontliners at safety risk, the government established a two-year advisory group to look for ways to curb the issue.
