The authorities at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry have opened an official inquiry into what they have described as "a horrendous and frightening" series of attacks in the hospital's accident and emergency department at the weekend.
Three youths attacked a patient in the department; a nurse was punched in the chest; and damage estimated at £10,000 was caused to medical equipment.
The deputy chief executive of Altnagelvin Hospital Trust, Mr Raymond McCartney, said the violence started at 2 a.m. on Sunday when three men walked into the accident and emergency rooms and began searching the treatment cubicles. A patient being treated in the hospital was subjected to "a brutal and physical attack," he said.
"A patient in a nearby cubicle who was linked up to an ECG monitor helped nursing staff, porters and other patients to stop the attack. In the struggle hospital equipment was damaged", said Mr McCartney.
"Regrettably violence in A&E is not uncommon, and the hospital has had to divert large sums of money from patient care to systems aimed at deterring assaults, both physical and verbal, on staff. However, Saturday night's incident was undoubtedly one of the worst, for staff and patients."
A spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that 58 CCTV cameras had been installed in an attempt to curb the violence and hospital porters had received training to provide protection to medical staff and patients.