Patient shot with Taser after allegedly injuring nurse and others in Sydney hospital | Sydney

A patient who allegedly attacked several people at a Sydney hospital, including a seriously injured nurse, was shot with a stun gun.

Police have restrained a 51-year-old patient at Sydney’s Prince of Wales hospital on Saturday night after a brawl left a nurse hospitalised.

Officers, who were already in hospital for unrelated reasons, were told the man had seriously injured a nurse’s leg before attacking two other nurses and a security guard.

During the same incident, the man allegedly attacked a 26-year-old woman with a trash can as she tried to protect a nearby patient.

When police approached, he allegedly attacked an officer, then was shot with a stun gun and arrested.

He was then transferred to a secure facility within the hospital.

The injured nurse was taken to hospital for further treatment.

The officer, hospital staff and a member of the public were treated at the scene, but no further medical attention was required.

Police did not specify where in the hospital the incident occurred.

A number of New South Wales hospitals have set up dedicated mental health units in their emergency departments to prevent violence against staff.

A recent report from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association found 88 per cent of respondents had experienced violence in the previous year.