Police insist they are working with Health NZ to address security concerns at Auckland Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The union representing Auckland Hospital's mental-health workers says more staff are needed to boost safety at the facility.
The number of attacks on staff at Auckland City, Starship Hospital and Greenlane clinic more than doubled to 1149 between the first half of 2023 and the second half of 2024.
Health NZ says the number of assaults on staff has dropped this year, and police say they will always respond to an offence, or an immediate risk to life or safety in hospitals - but the Public Service Association says more must be done.
Earlier this year, a group of four staff at Auckland City Hospital's mental-health ward were taken to the emergency department, after being assaulted. Some were seriously concussed.
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the incident was a direct result of short staffing and the PSA had raised this issue for sometime.
"We are concerned that Te Whatu Ora is consistently brushing off or ignoring concerns at acute in-patient mental health units," she said. "It's not good enough."
Police refuted claims officers weren't doing enough in such situations. Auckland central area commander Inspector Grae Anderson said they were working with Health New Zealand to address violence at Auckland City Hospital.
"This includes taking the patient's situation into account, particularly those with mental health conditions, and holding them to account appropriately," he said. "Safety is paramount and at the forefront of decision-making."
Anderson said it may be more appropriate to leave a suspect in a designated mental-health facility, while the matter is resolved.
"The approach from police has changed and that is putting more health workers at risk," Fitzsimons said.
"We've formally raised this with Te Whatu Ora and they need to take it seriously. Violence and assaults on mental-health nurses are not inevitable, they cannot be accepted as normal."
Health NZ said assaults at the hospital reduced from 233 reported assaults last November to 185 in May 2025.
Auckland City Hospital group director of operations Mike Shepherd said staff were trained to handle difficult situations.
"We understand the importance of providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone in our care," he said. "Hospital security staff are trained to provide support. and help assist hospital employees, patients and visitors from aggressive, violent and anti-social behaviours at hospitals around New Zealand."
Shepherd said the hospital would ask for support from police when needed.
"We're rolling out an intensive violence-reduction training to security and clinical staff across our hospitals, and we expect our wider programme of work to provide safer environments for staff and patients," he said.
Shepherd said security teams were stationed near emergency departments, clinical areas and general facilities, and were trained to manage aggressive situations, but Fitzsimons said workers may be forced to take firmer action.
"We're currently in bargaining for mental-health nurses and mental-health workers, and we're expecting safe staffing to be brought to the table by the employer," she said. "If that doesn't happen, we're not ruling out strike action in the same way that you've seen [NZ Nurses Organisation workers take]."
Health NZ said staff had been given personal alarms and safety training, but the union was adamant safe staffing numbers were the best protection.
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