Two Waikato night shift nurses attacked on their way to work say nurses shouldn’t have to feel scared at working nights.
The two women had parked their car near Waikato Hospital shortly after 10pm when the attacker aggressively forced his way inside the driver’s door and threatened them with a knife while repeatedly telling them to get out of the car.
The nurses fought of their attacker, who ran off towards the hospital’s main entry, and they then drove to the hospital’s emergency department and alerted security who called the police.
Respect for hospital staff was the message the victims wanted to share with one saying that people knew that the hospital area was full of vulnerable women. “We need people to respect us,” one of the nurses told Waikato District Health board communications staff.
“We are looking after sick kids and their families and the last thing we need is to be abused at work or on our way to work. I shouldn’t have to feel scared,” she said.
Waikato District Health board chief operating officer Jan Adams, a nurse herself, reiterated that any number of staff coming on duty needed to feel safe and it was “totally and utterly unacceptable that this right has been breached.”
“Clearly this a totally reprehensible incident and we appeal to the public for any assistance they can give us. The nurses are very badly shaken but we are looking after them and putting measures in place to help them work through this,” she said.
Dean Ria, the board’s security manager said DHB management said staff safety was very important to board management.
"As a result of this and a number of other incidents, we urge late and night shift staff to park in our main carpark building, which is secure and patrolled.”
"The hospital’s main carpark has an extensive CCTV system at its entry and exit. Hospital security staff regularly patrol all staff carparks at night and are available to escort staff to and from their cars."
He also appealed for any members of the public to come forward to the police if they saw any suspicious activity around the Selwyn or Horne Street area between 9pm and 11:30pm on the night of Thursday May 30.
