A patient has been shot with a Taser after allegedly attacking several people at a Sydney hospital, including a nurse who was left seriously injured.
Police restrained a 51-year-old patient after the Saturday night melee at Sydney’s Prince of Wales hospital, which left a nurse in hospital.
Officers already at the hospital for unrelated matters were told the man seriously injured a nurse’s leg before assaulting two other nurses and a security guard.
During the same incident, the man allegedly assaulted a 26-year-old woman, who was trying to protect a nearby patient, with a garbage bin.
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When approached by police, he allegedly assaulted an officer before being shot with a Taser and arrested.
He was then moved to a secure facility within the hospital.
The injured nurse was admitted to the hospital for further treatment.
The officer, hospital staff and a member of the public were treated at the scene, but did not require further medical care.
Police did not specify where in the hospital the incident took place.
A number of New South Wales hospitals have set up dedicated mental health units within their emergency departments to curb violence against staff.
A recent report from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association revealed 88% of respondents had experienced violence in the previous year.