Nurse seriously assaulted in Dublin hospital

A female nurse has been attacked and injured by a patient in the A&E department of St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin.

The woman suffered head and neck injuries in what was described as a vicious attack on Tuesday night.

She had been attending to a man in the triage room adjacent to the main A&E department when the attack occurred.

The Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) said the woman was lifted off the ground by the hair and repeatedly struck on the head and neck.

Patients and relatives in the nearby waiting room came to the nurse's assistance and the man was restrained and later arrested by gardaí.

The nurse - who is understood to be an Indian national and to have arrived in the State only two months ago - was hospitalised with injuries to the head and neck.

The INO has reacted angrily to the attack, claiming the incident could have been avoided had hospital management implemented recommendations to equip A&E staff with personal alarms and provide adequate security staff in high-risk areas.

INO Industrial Relations Officer Philip McAnenly said: "Assurances had been given by management that undercover security personnel were employed at the hospital to protect staff in the event of such an attack but none were present during the assault."

He said: "The response by hospital management has been inappropriate and inadequate. I have no confidence that the safety of nurses is being taken seriously, and this episode highlights the unsafe environment that our members are being exposed to on a regular basis".

Mr McAnenly said the INO was demanding an independent investigation into the attack.

A spokesman for St Vincent's Hospital said a statement concerning the attack would be released later today.