Alarms failed during violent assault on staff at Danish psychiatric ward

An alarming incident occurred at the new Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark, where a patient violently assaulted several staff members on a forensic psychiatric ward. The situation was made significantly more dangerous when the facility's assault alarm system failed, preventing other personnel from being alerted and responding to the attack.

According to Max Lindegaard, the work environment representative, and Tina Brejl Aagaard, the chief union representative, the alarm malfunction meant that colleagues could not be summoned for immediate assistance. The staff members directly involved in the incident discovered the alarm failure themselves and had to resort to calling others individually.

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It is pure luck that the staff members see the screens, because they give no sound or anything, as they usually do. We all have phones on us, which usually alert us, but that does not happen in this case.

"It is pure luck that the staff members see the screens, because they give no sound or anything, as they usually do. We all have phones on us, which usually alert us, but that does not happen in this case," Aagaard told TV2 Nord. She emphasized the severity of the situation, noting the potential for harm to both patients and staff, and confirmed that several employees sustained physical and psychological injuries.

The patient involved has been reported to the police. The affected employees were sent home following the incident. This failure highlights critical safety concerns within the hospital's psychiatric unit.

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It is very serious, because both patients and staff can be harmed. There are physical and psychological injuries to several employees.