Psychiatric nurse Catherine Butler had her nose broken by a patient in St Otteran's hospital in Waterford in April 2005. More than a year later, she is still awaiting surgery for the injury.
"It was a very spontaneous assault," she recalled yesterday. "I walked into the room to attend to the patient and she came up to me and just hit me with her fist. It was very sore, as you can imagine."
Ms Butler was off work for five months afterwards as complications arose from the injury. She had trouble breathing, and was diagnosed with a deviated septum which will need surgery.
She received counselling after the attack, and when she returned to work she requested a move to a different area.
"I would be more nervous now, definitely. With psychiatric patients things can change in a minute. I still love my job but the risk is there."
She is now hoping to go back to college to do a masters. "I had always planned to do it anyway, but the assault definitely spurred me on."
Nurses are growing more frightened at the increasing number of assaults, according to Denis Twomey, a nurse in Waterford Regional Hospital's department of psychiatry.
He was attacked by a patient in March 2003.
"The patient became very violent, and in the ensuing proceedings I suffered a serious injury to my left thumb. My thumb was bent across to the back of my hand."
Mr Twomey underwent surgery and wore a plaster cast for a month. He was then fitted with a splint. He still suffers discomfort and loss of power in his thumb, and has the option of having more surgery. However, he is reluctant to undergo another operation as he has no guarantee that it will solve his problem.
"Sometimes I think, why should I have to put up with this? It knocks your confidence. There's an awful lack of morale within the service."
