The murder of an ambulance nurse in Harmånger has sparked outrage among ambulance workers across Sweden, highlighting the dangers they face from violent patients. Staff demand better safety measures, including access to patient histories and a system to flag dangerous individuals. Despite past discussions, little has changed, prompting calls for urgent political action.
Ambulance Staff Demand Action After Colleague's Murder in Nordanstig
Ambulance Staff Demand Action After Colleague's Murder in Nordanstig
First shock and sorrow. Then anger. Emotions are running high among ambulance workers across the country after a colleague was murdered on duty.
– Everyone working in this field understands: It could have been me, says Johan Nestin, an ambulance nurse and safety representative.
The news of an ambulance nurse being murdered on duty in Harmånger shook Sweden. Ambulance workers nationwide are devastated – but not surprised.
Threats and violence from patients are not uncommon.
When Expressen visits the Solna ambulance station, all the ambulance staff we speak with report more or less serious incidents.
– I have been threatened with a knife. There have also been scuffles. We have a colleague who just went through a trial after being beaten by a patient. It could have ended very badly, says Johan Nestin, who is an ambulance and anesthesia nurse and a union representative for the Swedish Association of Health Professionals.
– I was in Rinkeby once, there was a gang there and the gang leader wanted to fight. Another time, a drug addict swung at me in the ambulance, says Lennart Malmqvist, a specialist nurse.
Today, a few days after the murder, many are both angry and frustrated.
– It is a tragedy for our profession. You should be able to go to work and feel safe, and know that you will come home again, says Maria Ovesdotter, a specialist nurse.
Demanding More Information
The anger and frustration largely stem from the well-known risks and the demands for better safety.
The fundamental problem, according to the ambulance staff we speak with, is that they often have to respond to calls with very little information about both the patient and the overall situation. They primarily wish for two things: Access to patient records where any history of violence is included, and a system for flagging potentially dangerous individuals or addresses.
More information would reduce the risks for ambulance staff. If they were better prepared, patients could also receive better care.
– We have debated this – the lack of safety – for more than 20 years. We had colleagues who were nearly shot in Grimsta, Vällingby, a couple of years ago. It was incredibly close that they were hit, says Johan Nestin and continues:
– We had roundtable discussions, Anders Ygeman (who was the Minister of the Interior then, editor's note) was supposed to set things right. We were supposed to get flagged addresses. But unfortunately, nothing has happened. None of what was discussed then has been realized.
Perhaps things will be different now. The ambulance staff seem to have had enough.
– I expect political action. I expect that both at the regional and national level, they start working on the issue seriously – with urgency, says Johan Nestin and continues:
– The employer must also take responsibility here. They have a work environment responsibility. But it is we in the union who have driven the safety issues, because it concerns our members.
“Excluding No Measures”
A system for flagging, where ambulance staff receive information from police records, requires legislative changes. On Monday evening, Health Minister Elisabet Lann (KD) opened up to this.
– The government is currently excluding no measures. At the same time, it is important that the regions use the opportunities available today to ensure ambulance staff's access to relevant patient information, she tells Expressen.
A few days before the murder in Harmånger, the suspected murderer had been threatening towards ambulance staff. The ambulance workers at Solna ambulance station have a clear view:
– We are probably quite in agreement that if we had had the laws in place, the murder could have been avoided, if what we have read in the media is true, says Johan Nestin.