Patient dies after suffering injury in incident at hospital: Northern Health

Health authorities are confirming that a patient died after suffering an injury in an incident at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital more than a year ago that has become the subject of a continuing police investigation.

“We regret that this tragic situation occurred, and our sincere sympathy and thoughts continue to be with the family and caregivers,” said a statement issued by the Northern Health Authority, which provides health-care services across northern B.C. “As this matter was the subject of an RCMP investigation, may become the subject of litigation and due to privacy concerns with respect to individual patients, no further details can be provided.”

The statement concluded by saying that the health authority takes the safety and security of patients and staff in their facilities “very seriously,” including any incidents of violence or aggression.

It said all incidents are thoroughly reviewed for opportunities to improve and promote safety for patients and staff.

The health authority released the statement after a Postmedia News reporter requested confirmation of information provided by a source in the health-care field who said that an elderly patient at the hospital had been knocked over by another patient and had died from his injuries.

Prince Rupert RCMP Const. Brody Hemrich said that no charges had yet been laid and the police investigation into the Nov. 5, 2021, incident is continuing and there would be no further comment at this time.

The source, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation from the health authority, said that he had heard that the deceased patient was an elderly man who was in the hallway of the hospital when another patient approached him and he was knocked down forcefully.

The elderly patient suffered a head injury and died, said the source, who added that the other patient was an occasional psychiatric patient and had a lengthy criminal record.

“I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t know if he’s in jail, if he’s in a psychiatric institution,” the source said of the other patient.

The source said that before the November 2021 incident, the other patient had robbed a doctor and assaulted two other doctors.

In a statement, the B.C. Nurses’ Union said that it extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased patient.

“This incident reiterates our call for increased security at health-care facilities around the province. BCNU believes hiring protective security officers with robust training to manage complex and violent incidents is a much-needed step towards making health-care settings safe.”

In a statement released in December, the nurses’ union noted that WorkSafeBC had levied a $355,249 administrative penalty on Northern Health for failing to conduct adequate workplace inspections following reports from nurses and other health-care workers about continuing safety issues. It was the latest health authority to be issued a substantial fine over safety-related issues, said the union.

In October, the B.C. government announced it was hiring 320 in-house protection services officers and 14 violence prevention leads in order to help create a safer environment for staff and patients at a number of B.C. health-care facilities.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said that since summer 2021 more than 4,400 reported incidents of violence have occurred, resulting in about $7 million in employee time-loss claims, but the effect can’t be quantified in dollars.

Protection services officers are said to be highly trained, skilled persons who can de-escalate and manage a violent incident.

A spokesman for the B.C. Coroners Service said in an email that he wasn’t aware of an investigation by the coroners’ service into the Prince Rupert incident.

kfraser@postmedia.com

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