Staff working at a high risk mental health unit in Belfast say they are being attacked on a weekly basis and have called for more protection.
Nurses working at the Shannon Clinic in Knockbracken Healthcare Park in South Belfast have raised concerns following a number of attacks on staff members and say that the clinic struggles to retain staff due to the dangers of working there.
They have claimed that drugs, assaults, sexual violence, bullying and the use of weapons are commonplace in the clinic which is often used by prisoners who have been convicted of serious crimes.
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The most recent incident took place on Thursday, July 28, when multiple members of staff were injured following an assault.
Staff have said that there is no additional security at the clinic and nursing staff are responsible for dealing with aggressive or violent behaviour.
They have also claimed that it is reliant on agency staff due to the high levels of staff turnover resulting from people not wanting to work at the clinic. They also said that many agency nurses will only work one shift at the Shannon Clinic before refusing to return to it because of the dangers.
Nurses have said they are "physically and mentally broken" due to the pressures of working at the clinic and believe that management is not taking enough care to ensure that they are safe and protected.
Speaking to Belfast Live, a whistleblower said: "The Shannon Clinic was once known throughout the Belfast Trust for its highly skilled, dedicated and consistent workforce, but recently this reputation has gone and staff morale is at an all-time low.
"Serious violence against staff, sexual assaults, drugs and the use of weapons have become a regular occurrence within the facility where around 90% of patients have a forensic history and have been convicted of very serious crimes.
"We understand the job requires a certain level of tolerance for challenging behaviour but in the past few years, serious attacks have become frequent on an almost weekly basis. Staff have been strangled, punched, head injuries, jaw almost broken, held captive and with cups of urine thrown over staff along with weapons being made, the list is endless.
"Every single shift is dangerously short staffed. There is a massive recruitment and retention problem. No one wants to work there because it is so dangerous.
"Staff sickness is directly impacted by the level of violence. Staff get injured, others fearful of being hurt and some are burnt-out with the constant threat of violence during the working day."
They continued: "Alot of the staff feel that management are absent or disconnected from the realities of our job and are playing down the concerns that members of staff bring to them.
"A toxic environment has developed where staff feel their jobs will be threatened for raising their concerns and as a result staff turnover is extremely high and the clinic relies heavily on agency staff who are paid significantly more than others.
"There have also been issues where untrained agency staff have unwittingly facilitated the entry of contraband and illegal drugs into the unit through lack of vigilance and training.
"We feel like the Shannon Clinic is a ticking time-bomb and a catastrophic incident is waiting to happen unless the issues are resolved soon."
Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident on Thursday, July 28, and enquiries are ongoing.
A Belfast Health and Social Care Trust spokesperson said: "Staff working in Forensic Mental Health, as well as those across the HSC, are experiencing increasing pressure as demand for services continue to grow. We thank them for the commitment they are showing and provide as much support as possible to allow them to deliver the highest level of care.
"Across the HSC we have a high vacancy rates within nursing posts, with mental health posts particularly affected. Whilst we are working to establish longer term solutions we are using agency staff to provide a high level of expertise and safe care across all mental health units. Our agency colleagues are integral to our team and without them we could not provide the level of care we need.
"Whilst the patients cared for at Shannon are high risk there is no need to provide additional security above that already in place. We have robust measures to keep staff and other patients safe and whilst incidents do occur our staff can de-escalate them quickly and safely. All incidents of injuries, however minor, are logged and reviewed regularly.
"In line with the Trust’s Whistleblowing policy we encourage any staff member with a concern about safety to report this to their line manager or senior member of staff. We have a low threshold for taking action and when it is required we will take the necessary steps to ensure the concern is addressed appropriately.
"Any accusation of staff, agency or otherwise, assisting patients in the smuggling of contraband into our units is treated as a criminal offence. Should any staff member be aware of this it should be reported immediately to senior staff who are required to inform the PSNI immediately."
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