The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is increasing surveillance and strengthening security on its wards after a patient struck a nurse in the Accident and Emergency Department on Wednesday night, renewing calls for tougher penalties for attacks on healthcare workers.
The Barbados Nurses Association (BNA) said the incident has brought renewed attention to proposals for stronger legal protection submitted to the Ministry of Health last year, which it says have yet to receive an official response.
The hospital confirmed that a male nurse was reportedly assaulted around 8 p.m. while attending to a patient. The person who struck him was another patient living with Alzheimer’s disease.
QEH officials told Barbados TODAY that security measures were being bolstered, including increased surveillance and closer coordination between security personnel and hospital wards.
Management said it was doubling down on measures necessary to provide a safer environment for staff and patients.
In a statement on Thursday, the hospital said it had taken immediate steps to strengthen security following the incident and had met with nursing personnel reporting for duty that morning to address their concerns.
Chief executive officer Neil Clark reaffirmed the hospital’s zero-tolerance position on violence against healthcare workers and pledged support for the nurse involved.
Meanwhile, BNA president Dr Fay Parris said the latest incident had again raised concerns about the protection of nurses and other healthcare professionals.
“A policy brief was sent forward to the Ministry of Health on which we are still waiting for official response,” she told Barbados TODAY.
Speaking from St Kitts, where she is attending a regional nursing conference, Parris said the association was investigating Wednesday’s incident.
“BNA wants to put on record that it is totally and fully against anybody laying hands on our nurses,” she said.
The association’s previous appeal followed an incident in September 2025 when Josiah Lovell, then 22, struck Sister Hyacinth Green, 64, at the Randall Phillips Polyclinic in Oistins.
Lovell admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was subsequently fined $1 000, ordered to complete 240 hours of community service and pay Green $400 in compensation.
Parris criticised the compensation order at the time, arguing that it was inadequate given the seriousness of an attack on a nurse carrying out her duties.
The association subsequently submitted a policy brief seeking discussions with the Ministry of Health on stiffer penalties for attacks on healthcare workers.
“We invest a lot. We [go] above and beyond, and we expect persons to respect us as healthcare workers,” Parris said.
The BNA president said its first vice-president and industrial relations chair were investigating the latest incident before the association issued a further statement.
The QEH, meanwhile, said it recognised that patients with certain medical and cognitive conditions could present unpredictable behavioural challenges, but stressed that protecting staff remained a priority.
Management said it would continue reviewing security arrangements and operational procedures while ensuring that patients with complex medical needs received appropriate care.
Hospital officials confirmed that there had been no work stoppage following Wednesday’s incident.
Investigations are continuing.
(SM)
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