The Ontario Nurses’ Association is asking the police to investigate an incident at the Southlake Regional Health Centre emergency room, and for the first time is calling for criminal charges against a hospital.
It stems from something that happened in the emergency room the morning of June 9.
The union says a nurse was assaulted, and the hospital admits people were injured, including staff and a physician.
The union says there were 15 patients in the ER that morning who were there because they could be a risk to themselves or others. The union says the nurses made three requests for extra security and never got it. They also asked for a special protocol to move other patients out of the ER because they didn't have enough staff, and the situation wasn't safe.
The union says this didn't happen until after one of the nurses was injured.
In a statement, union president Linda Haslam-Stroud says, "We believe the hospital failed nurses and patients."
“We also believe that the hospital's actions enabled the assaults to occur and constitute a wanton disregard for worker safety, and this justifies criminal charges being sought."
The hospital issued a statement saying, "We are disappointed that a statement of this nature was made about Southlake considering the high priority that we have always, and continue to make with regards to the safety of our staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and their family members.”
Southlake says security and the police were called in right away, and steps are being taken to find out why this happened.
The union says the hospital has not been responsive.
Police are investigating, but there is no word when they might file their report. The nurse who was injured is still under a doctor's care.
