Police study hospital video

Staff at Royal Hospital in Belfast were threatened

The police have studied the video evidence of an incident at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast at the weekend in which staff were threatened and assaulted.

The RUC said they were anxious that staff at the hospital come forward for interview.

Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for the incident at the hospital.

The health union, Unison, has called for extra security at the RVH.

At a meeting between staff, unions, management and the RUC on Monday, Unison also asked the police for more patrols at the RVH to try to avoid further incidents.

Further meeting

The union voiced concerns to the police that the people who made the threats were not immediately removed from the hospital. There will be another meeting on Friday.

RUC Chief Inspector Russell Martin emerged from the meeting to pledge police would work to ensure staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital did not encounter any further attacks.

"The hospital staff were given an assurance that the police would continue to give regular attention to the casualty department and if police assistance was required they would respond appropriately," he said.

Victim (on right): "They said they were from the LVF"

The weekend ordeal for some of the staff in the RVH progressed from verbal assaults to being spat upon, beaten and having their lives threatened.

Patricia McKeown, from Unison, said it was a frightening attack.

One of the victims said: "I was behind the desk in casualty, a man came up and showed me that under his coat he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

"He said: 'You don't know who you're dealing with here'.

Saddened

"I said: 'I'm only doing my job, I'm not looking any hassle'.

"He said: 'LVF - you will be dead within two weeks'."

I'm frankly furious that such an incident has taken place

RVH Chief Executive William McKee

The chief executive of the Royal Group of Hospitals, William McKee, said he was angry and saddened by the attack.

"I'm frankly furious that such an incident has taken place," he said.

"We want to give as much support as we can to staff, but more importantly, I look to political leaders, community leaders and politicians to join with me in condemning what is a disgraceful incident over the weekend."

The hospital's medical director, Dr Ian Carson, said that a gang claiming to be loyalist paramilitaries carried out the attack and that they were actually with a group of patients needing crucial care.

Dr Carson said the threats against staff serving the whole community were "intolerable".

William McKee: "Angry and saddened"

Northern Ireland Health Minister Bairbre de Brun said it was disgraceful that people who serve all sections of the community were assaulted and threatened.

Meanwhile, the President of the Methodist Church, the Reverend Harold Good, said any such treatment of vulnerable hospital personnel was "unacceptable, but when coming from those who claim to be acting on behalf of a paramilitary organisation, it is even more sinister".

Previous threat

The threats followed another similar incident when staff at the Mater Hospital in north Belfast were threatened by loyalists in February.

Patricia McKeown: "Frightening attack"

After those threats, the province's health union held a series of public protests.

At the time, nationalist politicians said they believed the threat came from the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters.

Figures from Northern Ireland's major hospitals showed there were 500 physical attacks on staff in 2000. There were many more occasions on which staff were verbally abused.

Many incidents happened in high pressure areas including casualty departments.