"It could have been a lot worse."
Thanks to the calmness and professionalism of colleagues in the Emergency Department (ED) and our security teams, a potentially fatal incident was averted at the weekend.
In the early hours of Saturday (18 January) morning, Adam Watson turned up at QMC’s ED with a knife in his waistband.
After staff were alerted by a taxi driver, they acted quickly to ensure the safety of patients and staff in the department.
Staff Nurse Nikki Goddard was with the individual when he was triaged and alongside her colleagues, kept him calm while the police were called.
“My main priority was the safety of our patients in main reception and colleagues working in the department.”
“We were all very frightened as we know how quickly things can escalate."
“Had that taxi driver not rang in, it could have been a lot worse. It could have gone a completely different way if we hadn’t acted quickly and calmly.”
Security colleagues Natalie Watson and Damian Thompson attended the scene quickly as part of their duties. With their support, the Police were called and the individual was arrested and charged with possession of a knife in a public place.
He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday (20 January) where he admitted the offence and was jailed for a total of eight months.
Sergeant Natham Phipps, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We work closely with hospital teams and I’d like to thank the staff on duty at QMC on Saturday who alerted us that this man was in possession of a knife.
“Hard-working hospital staff should not have to deal with this sort of incident while on a shift but their alertness helped us to seize this weapon.
“Officers attended promptly and were able to arrest Watson and take the knife out of harm’s way.
“It sends a strong message that this individual then found himself being sent to jail on Monday morning.
“There is never any excuse for anyone to be carrying a blade in public. It puts themselves and anyone they come into contact with at risk of harm.
“As this incident also highlights it can very quickly lead to you being put behind bars.”
Incidents against staff have increased over the last three years, with more than 2,000 reported incidents of aggression, violence and harassment last year.
Alongside the introduction of body worn cameras, closer working with the police and withholding treatment for violent and aggressive patients where appropriate, we are proactively working to tackle unacceptable aggression, violence and harassment against our staff.
Victoria Fensome, Divisional Nurse for Medicine at NUH, said: “I want to pay tribute to my ED and security colleagues. Thanks to their professionalism under difficult circumstances, they averted a potentially fatal incident.
“While the majority of those attending our hospitals demonstrate respect for our staff and their hard work, sadly a small, but growing number of people still choose to inflict verbal abuse and, in some instances, physical violence upon our staff. This will not be tolerated.
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff, patients and visitors is our first priority. We work closely with the police and will not hesitate to take robust action against anyone found abusing and threatening our staff while at work.”