Female worker allegedly punched in face by woman at Mercy University Hospital Cork

The woman had been alerted to an incident at the hospital on Monday evening at approximately 6pm. 

When she went to investigate, she was allegedly assaulted by another female.

Gardaí were at the scene within seven minutes and an arrest was made.

The alleged assault took place near the entrance to the hospital, it is understood.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Mercy Hospital said that it cannot comment on matters involving members of staff.

Aggression to staff at the hospital had escalated to such a point that nurses there carry alarms to alert security staff to their locations, the Irish Examiner reported earlier this year. 

A security team, led by former Garda Superintendent Con Cadogan, was introduced to help nurses report incidents and to prosecute offenders.

Close links with gardaí encouraged nurses to report abuse with multiple cases “under review”. 

Some 40 cases had already been prosecuted by May.

A knife was pulled on a paramedic in one incident caught on CCTV at the hospital, Emma Murphy, a nurse at the Mercy, previously said. 

Despite the challenges, she said it is a “much safer place to work” now because of the support.

Aggression is often driven by frustration with overcrowding, she said. 

And waiting lists for mental health and addiction services for all ages add to the numbers.

“We see a lot of alcohol- and drug-related presentations, whereas, if these people had access to proper, appropriate healthcare, we probably wouldn’t see them as often,” she said.