I was absolutely appalled to read about the case of Donald “Hannibal Lecter” Gibson, the convicted rapist, who has been terrorizing staff at the kidney dialysis unit at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he receives life saving treatment 3 times a week.

Hospital management responded to his behaviour by providing an “isolation facility” at a cost of £18,000 plus security staff at a cost of £1,500 per month, plus paying £2,000 a year for taxi’s to stop him loitering around the hospital and gained an interim interdict in the Court of Session banning Gibson from physically and verbally attacking staff.

These measures did not prevent Gibson assaulting a nurse last month.

I am running an e-petition to change the rules so that the guidelines for these situations should allow hospitals to withdraw the service, refer patients back to their GP who would then find an alternative unit for patient treatment.

If this means patients have to pay the travel expenses out of their own pocket, perhaps this will encourage those persistently violent and abusive patients to reconsider their behaviour.

People go into nursing because they want to help people.

A Royal College of Nursing survey showed that 40% of nurses have been attacked or harassed last year.

They should not have to put up with this type of behaviour.

I hope you agree and will sign the petition -

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/NursesRights

Thank you,


Mev Brown