Few charges filed against those who assault healthcare workers, says report
Despite growing concerns over violence against healthcare workers, legal action against perpetrators remains rare, according to a recent report.
In British Columbia, there have been few charges against suspected assailants, according to CTV News.
This is the case even though there has been an increase in claims for violence against health-care workers. The report noted that WorkSafeBC allowed 1,159 claims for violence against health-care workers in 2019. That data included mostly nurses and excluded doctors.
By 2023, the number had climbed to 1,251, according to the news report.
“What are we doing to protect health-care workers? I would say we’re not doing enough,” said Adriane Gear, British Columbia Nurses' Union (BCNU) president. “If it is not safe for health-care workers to do their job, it’s actually not safe for the patients either.”
Previously, the BC Court of Appeal found no employer fault in the case of a psychiatrist who was injured by a violent psychiatric patient.
Why are there so few charges against attackers of healthcare workers?
Last month, Nicholas Robert Coulombe, 32, was charged with one count of attempted murder and three counts of assault with a weapon, after he assaulted workers at a Nova Scotia hospital.
The incident happened at The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII). Coulombe – who was receiving care at the hospital – stabbed two hospital workers in the emergency room. He also injured two others – including another hospital staff – by throwing objects at them.
One of the victims sustained significant injuries.
CTV News asked the office of Niki Sharma, B.C.’s attorney general, why there have been few charges against suspected assailants when there’s an increase in reported conflicts and assaults, and Sharma had this response: “An assault on a health worker is a serious criminal offence, and decisions regarding charges are made independently by Crown counsel.”
According to the 2021 National Physician Health Survey from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), eight in 10 physicians have experienced intimidation, bullying and/or harassment in the workplace at some point in their careers. Four in 10 reported that these experiences happen “frequently” or “often,” with women significantly more likely to say they happen at least once a week.
Also, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of healthcare workers experienced physical violence, based on the Canadian Union of Public Employees's (CUPE) survey of 2,300 front-line registered practical nurses (RPNs), personal support workers (PSWs), porters, cleaners and other front-line hospital staff, conducted May 17 to 24, 2022.
Sharma also said that the government “has taken action to improve safety in health-care settings”.
“When incidents do occur, we encourage all healthcare workers to report acts of violence so they can be properly addressed.”
CTV News also noted that frontline hospital workers claim they’ve seen no noticeable increase in security staff in the past two years, and doctors and paramedics have been forced to break up fights or protect staff and patients alike from attackers.
Attacks against healthcare workers spoil workplace morale, job retention, safety perceptions and overall well-being among workers, according to a previous report. To address this issue, it’s important that employers listen to their workers, said Emily Killham, Senior Director and Head of the Center for Workforce Transformation at Perceptyx.
Overall, 88 per cent of executives say they either strongly agree (33 per cent) or somewhat agree (50 per cent) that company leaders understand the challenges faced by frontline/non-office/deskless workers at their organization, according to a previous Dayforce report.
However, only 62 per cent of workers either strongly agree (21 per cent) or somewhat agree (41 per cent) to the statement.
