The union representing nurses in B.C. is calling for more action on safety in the workplace, after a recent attack on a nurse at the Langley Memorial Hospital.

One person was arrested in the March 8 incident that police said involved an “edged weapon.” The nurse, who was not a member of the union, did not suffer serious injuries.

0:44 Nurse assaulted at Langley Memorial Hospital

But BC Nurses’ Union president Adriane Gear said violence in health care settings is on the rise, and more needs to be done to keep them safe.

“There are about 46 serious assaults per month, and when I am saying ‘serious’ I am classifying that as requiring a time-loss claim from WorkSafeBC,” Gear said.

“And that does not take into account all the near-misses, incidents of violence that maybe cause physical or psychological injury that do not necessarily require a claim.”

One concern nurses have is the lack of a system to communicate the risk of violence between hospitals or health authorities if a patient has caused problems before.

1:49 Nurse attacked and seriously injured at Port Moody hospital

Gear said nurses are also concerned enough isn’t being done to keep weapons out of health care settings.

“You wouldn’t be allowed to bring a sharp item or a weapon onto an airplane, and I really think we need to adopt the same philosophy, that there needs to be a safe place for patients’ belongings to be locked away and then returned to patients when they leave the facility,” she said.

Health Minister Josie Osborne called the Langley Hospital incident a “terrifying situation,” adding safety in hospitals remained a “top priority.”

She said the province has hired the equivalent of 750 full time “relational security” officers across 30 sites since 2022.

Those officers have “specific training training on identifying aggressive behaviours, helping to de-escalate, and helping to create a safe workspace,” she said.

1:51 Student nurse attacked at VGH

“We have chosen those sites in partnership with the HAs and the nurses’ union.”

Osborne said weapons are already strictly prohibited in hospitals, and that the province is working with health authorities to ensure those policies are followed.

Gear said that while the union supports the relational security officer program, most staff are clustered in major areas with rural and remote facilities often left to rely on RCMP that may be stationed far away.

“In some of these smaller communities, the response time for RCMP is significant,” she said.

Osborne said people who experience on-the-job violence need to report incidents so that health authorities have the data they need to properly deploy security.

But she added the province remained committed to improving violence prevention and security as well.

“Together with the nurses’ union we will expand this program,” she said.