Fearful staff at Cork hospital forced to carry alarms amid verbal and physical abuse

Nurses can alert a security team to their location if subject to abuse by patients

Verbal and physical abuse of nurses by patients at Mercy University Hospital in Cork has reached such a level that staff now carry alarms. Picture: Dan Linehan

Verbal and physical abuse of nurses by patients at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork has reached such a level that staff now carry alarms to send their precise locations to security guards.

A security team led by former Garda superintendent Con Cadogan helps nurses to report incidents and to prosecute offenders.