\u201cA distressed patient acted violently towards staff and caused property damage,\u201d said Health NZ central mental health and addiction regional director Paul Oxnam.<\/p>\n
No staff were injured and the patient was transferred to a forensic unit in Porirua, which was \u201cmore secure\u201d.<\/p>\n
Unit staff said the room the patient was put in at Te Whare Ahuru was not meant to be used for seclusion but was \u201cthe only safe option at the time\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Friday he was smashing the door so hard the framing started to split,\u201d staff said. \u201cWe called 111 for police assistance and multiple staff held the door in place for over an hour while we waited for police to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
But they say when police finally did arrive, they refused to intervene.<\/p>\n
Staff managed to get the patient into a designated seclusion room, which he slept in overnight, but the following morning he began banging on the door again.<\/p>\n
It took four staff at a time to brace the door but by about 11am, the patient had managed to break the lock, staff said.<\/p>\n
The police were called again, but again refused to step in. When they left the second time, they allegedly told staff not to call them again.<\/p>\n
Then, when the Porirua facility accepted the patient, staff said the police refused to transport him. \u201cHe had to be sedated to be transported via ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oxnam said the health agency was \u201ccontinuing to support the patient and staff involved\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a highly distressing event, and we want to thank the staff involved for their professionalism. An informal review was undertaken immediately and a formal staff debriefing followed on June 8,\u201d Oxnam said.<\/p>\n
He said a review involving police, Wellington Free Ambulance and Health NZ would be held to look at the systems in place at the time and provide recommendations for improvement.<\/p>\n
The door that was damaged had been repaired, and all doors in the area had been checked.<\/p>\n