TOP SECURITY IN THE HOSPITAL WARDS...
It speaks volumes about the increasingly violent society in which we live that security guards now have to be deployed in the Accident and Emergency ward of a local hospital. The NI Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has welcomed the deployment of security guards in A&E at the Causeway Hospital, nr Coleraine.
Speaking after a visit to the hospital, the former Minister for fun said:
"As a first step, security guards are now deployed in the A&E Department at night and I am sure their presence will be reassuring for staff, patients and visitors. I welcome the initial action taken to improve security and I have asked the Trust to advise me of the further steps proposed to protect, at all times, the personal safety of those admitted, visiting or working in the hospital. Any form of attack on healthcare staff is inexcusable and totally unacceptable. It is appalling to think that those who dedicate themselves to saving lives and to public service should be subject to verbal or physical abuse. Last year I launched a zero tolerance campaign on attacks on healthcare workers, and Health and Social Care Trusts are required to have a zero tolerance policy in operation."
A few thoughts here. Introducing security into the A&E department is an admission of failure in my book, and McGimpsey should not be boasting about it. Where are the police in these situations? How well trained are the "security-staff" that have now been employed? Is it not the case that the violence to which McGimpsey indirectly refers comes from those who are drunk? How many of these may be foreign nationals? I ask the last question because of the last few times I had to take my father into A&E late at night the worst drunks were foreign nationals and they were fighting with each other as if the ward was a wrestling ring, I have never seen such behaviour previously in a hospital! Of course this is not to say I am laying the blame at the feet of immigrants. Just as assuredly, far too many locals show a startling lack of respect for the place they are in. But too my mind the introduction of security guards is just a sticking plaster solution to cover over the underlying problem and until we address the fundamental issue of drunken and unruly behaviour then we will achieve precisely nothing.
David Vance
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Reader Comments (8)
Tend to agree David, and I would proffer a suggestion.
A&E units should be segregated -- anyone entering them (either as a patient or accompanying a patient) should be breathalysed. If they are found to be over the drink-drive limit, they should be placed in a secure area and monitored by security staff. If they become aggressive or abusive they should be refused treatment and if necessary arrested.
That way the reasonable members of society could avail of a decent service in peace.
HA
That is a good suggestion, but too loaded with common sense and dismissive of false notions of equality to ever be implemented by the authorities.
Back to the safety issue again. People aren't safe at home, and they aren't safe out at night, and now they aren't safe in hospitals.
BBC reports Man Beaten in House.
Cait, where are the police? How is it that your society is being taken over by young toughs?
Hi Charles. Don't know why all these attacks are happening in succession like this! They seem to be widespread and vicious. There was a spate of stabbings like that a while back.
It is getting more violent here. May be the police have their hands tied politically.
Charles how's the health holding up?
Thanks for asking Cait. I'm off work at least another 2 weeks. It doesn't take much activity to get my breathing all screwed up.
I'm sure the breathing is difficult. I had a sister in law, whose is dead now, and her breathing troubles were horific. We called her ghost buster, because she had to wear a mask for one of those portable cyllanders that there are. So I know how it is.
Look after it Charles.