- Man allegedly attacked with hammer
- He was a patient at Royal Prince Alfred hospital
A man was allegedly hit with a hammer while a patient at a Sydney hospital.
Emergency services rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown just after midnight on Thursday after reports of an assault.
Police were told a woman had allegedly entered the hospital and assaulted a 63-year-old man – who is known to her.
During the incident, it is alleged the man was struck with a hammer to the head while in a general ward, causing serious injuries.
The patient is fighting for his life in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Chief Executive Deb Willcox told reporters they have attempted to contact his loved ones after the ‘terrible event’.
‘He’s had a reasonably long length of stay with us, and, by all accounts, (he is) a really lovely person who staff are very fond of,’ she said.
A patient at Royal Prince Alfred hospital was allegedly attacked by a woman with a hammer in the early hours of Thursday (stock image)
Ms Wilcox said the shock incident was not something she had ever experienced, and was ‘distressing’ for hospital staff.
‘They did an outstanding job. You don’t come to work and expect this sort of thing, but their training is so effective,’ she said.
‘They’re just so capable and such good people that they knew exactly what to do.
‘We see people in all sorts of extreme situations. There’s no doubt that this has been a very serious event, and not something that I have been a part of previously.’
A 46-year-old woman, identified by The Daily Telegraph as Viki Graham, was arrested at the scene and taken to Newtown Police Station.
She was charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and refused bail. She is due to appear in court on Thursday.
Police sources told the Telegraph their investigors are looking into whether the alleged assault is connected to a recent death in the man’s family, including a dispute over a will.
It has been reported Graham allegedly asked hospital staff where she could find the man’s room before the incident.
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Chief Executive Deb Willcox said hospital staff are ‘very fond’ of the patient (stock image)
Hospital staff have anonymously told The Sydney Morning Herald they had questions about how the woman entered the man’s ward.
‘This is extremely unsettling,’ a doctor said.
‘I have never in my many years of practice here have ever heard of such a thing (happening) here.’
Visitors are not allowed to access general wards after 8pm, but Ms Wilcox said it was a ‘very big and busy hospital’.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for SLHD confirmed the hospital is assisting police with their enquiries.
‘The safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff across SLHD are our highest priority and any form of violence in our hospitals is unacceptable,’ they said.
‘We can confirm there was an incident at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital overnight where a patient was assaulted by a visitor.
‘No other patients or staff were injured in the incident.
‘SLHD is also offering support to staff who witnessed this distressing incident.’
