A man has been charged with the attempted murder of a ‘popular’ nurse at a Greater Manchester hospital.
Rumon Haque, 37, has been identified as the suspect behind the attack at the Royal Oldham Hospital late on Saturday/
He has also been charged with possession of a bladed article, Greater Manchester Police said.
The victim, in her 50s, suffered ‘life-changing’ injuries in the attack in the acute medical unit (AMU).
One of the staff members, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he knew the ‘experienced’ nurse, who has worked at the hospital for around a decade.
‘The nurse is lovely lady. She is in her 50s and has two children and is an active and popular member of the community in Oldham,’ he added as reported by the Sun.
‘She’s a very nice lady and is member of the Indian Association Oldham (IAO).’
He added that the nurse was being treated at a different hospital and he had not spoken to her husband as he was still too upset.
Chaos broke out at the hospital when a man confronted one of the night nurses with a ‘sharp instrument,’ which was not a knife, around 11.30pm.
A 37-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.
This afternoon, Heather Caudle, chief nursing officer at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said: ‘We are incredibly shocked and saddened by last night’s incident and our focus is on supporting the colleague involved and their family.
‘Our thoughts are also with colleagues and patients who were there at the time of the incident and for whom this has been distressing and frightening.
‘We will continue to support Greater Manchester Police with their inquiries. All services at The Royal Oldham Hospital remain open.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the attack as ‘horrific’ and said his thoughts were with the nurse and her loved ones.
In a post on social media site X, he wrote: ‘Nurses are the backbone of our NHS and should be able to care for patients without fear of violence.
‘We’re in touch with the Trust and will update further as we can.’
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The Royal College of Nursing general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger also described the attack as ‘truly shocking’ and paid tributes to the victim.
She added: ‘Nursing staff go to work to care for others and have every right to do so without the fear of violence. All employers have a duty to keep their staff safe and authorities must ensure those endangering healthcare professionals face the full force of the law.’
Local MP Jim McMahon said: ‘We are all shocked at the senseless attack on a nurse in the Royal Oldham Hospital.
‘Our thoughts are with the nurse, family and friends as we wish a full recovery.’
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