Union calls for changes after violent incident in B.C. psychiatric hospital

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has renewed calls for more staff protection after a violent incident against an employee at the Colony Farm Forensic Hospital in Coquitlam this week.

The union says over the last five years, this hospital has been the site of 54 Workers' Compensation Board safety orders and 102 inspection reports — which it say stem from a failure to protect workers from violence.

Union president Stephanie Smith said the latest incident began when staff were instructed to move a patient from a seclusion room. The staff member was seriously assaulted by the patient.

She said the union raised issues of safety and protections for its members in the hospital for years.

"This is a treatment facility for those who've been deemed not criminally responsible for their acts due to mental illness or not able to stand trial for their acts," she said.

"These are extremely challenging high needs patients [but] our staff are being treated as though they're working in a long term care residential home."

Smith says staff in the facility lack access to safety equipment like blocking pads and body armour.

"In facilities of a similar nature across Canada, they are available to staff. They are not available to our staff here in B.C.," she said.

"We're seriously at the point of frustration. Our members' lives are at risk."

Hospital responds

Angela Draude, the provincial executive director of Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission, confirmed there was a violent incident in the hospital — although she could not give specific details.

"I can tell you we take all of these incidents really seriously. With each incident, we do review in conjunction with our union and occupational health and safety partners and look for any areas of improvement that may need to be considered for the future."

Draude said there are a number of safety and security improvements coming to the hospital — via a $2.8 million commitment from the Provincial Health Services Authority — as a result of those reviews.

"We now have a new panic alarm system coming into place, new fencing — those kinds of things," she said.

She said at present there are are currently no outstanding WorkSafe orders.

"The work that's being done at the hospital in the last while has really significantly made differences and impacts in the safety of our staff and our patients."    

With files from The Early Edition and Natasha Frakes