The suspect was reportedly quickly arrested by officers who were already in the department.
A healthcare assistant has been stabbed by a patient at a Lewisham Hospital in London.
The NHS worker was reportedly stabbed in the arm on Tuesday by a patient with a sharp object and subsequently required surgery.
Following the incident, the suspect was reportedly quickly arrested by officers who were already in the department dealing with another patient.
Channel 4 News, which first reported the incident, says staff at the trust have raised concerns about rising levels of violence towards staff.
An unnamed source told the broadcaster; “We have for a long time been warning that it is really insecure in A&E and it sounds as if these have been falling on deaf ears.”
The member of staff is reportedly now recovering at home.
Rising levels of violence.
Jo Peck, joint acting Chief Nurse for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said in a statement; “Like other NHS Trusts, we have been facing significant demand for our services and, sadly, rising levels of violence and aggression towards our staff – with some anger over the steps we need to take to keep people safe, such as asking visitors to wear face coverings”.
“We held staff focus groups over summer and subsequently invited all staff to join a taskforce to deal with this issue – steps taken in response include introducing additional 24/7 security support at our hospitals.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said a 38-year-old man had been charged.
The spokesperson said: “Police were attending Lewisham University Hospital on Tuesday 23 November on a separate matter, when at approximately 3.44pm a member of staff was stabbed in the upper arm. The male was quickly arrested at the scene.
“The victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.”
The suspect was remanded to custody pending a Crown Court appearance next month.
