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Patient who attacked and threatened ED nurses gets four-month suspended sentence

Martynas Dagilis admitted attacking and injuring one nurse and threatening another

Martynas Dagilis admitted attacking and injuring one nurse with a table, and threatening another

entrance to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital emergency department
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Picture: Alamy

A patient who threw a table at an emergency nurse leaving her with a leg injury, and threatened another with a crutch, has been given a four-month suspended jail sentence.

Martynas Dagilis of Norwich Road, Mulbarton, Norfolk, admitted two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage and threatening behaviour in the emergency department of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on 3 June. He was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on 16 August.

Zero-tolerance for abusive or aggressive treatment of staff

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief nurse Nancy Fontaine said the trust will not tolerate abusive or aggressive behaviour.

‘We must protect the emergency department team so they can continue to provide their essential service for our local community,’ she said. ‘We continue to work closely with our security and police colleagues and are providing support to the staff affected.’

Police committed to bringing attacks on ED staff to court

Norwich police commander, superintendent Terry Lordan said assaults on emergency staff were unacceptable at any time but particularly so given the pressures facing staff during the pandemic.

He added: ‘These nurses were simply trying to do their jobs, to care and look after people and they shouldn’t have to face such behaviour. However, when these incidents do happen we fully investigate them to seek justice and present the best possible evidence to the court.’

‘Log every case of assault or abuse on Datix’

Earlier this month, a nurse who said he has been attacked on multiple occasions urged others to use the Datix system to record incidents of verbal and physical abuse.

Emergency department deputy charge nurse Stephen McKenna, who works at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, said nurses across the UK are regularly subject to violence and abuse at work.

However, he said many did not log incidents because they did not have time or did not know how to do it.


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