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A third staff member has been sacked from a secure hospital unit following an assault complaint from an intellectually disabled patient.
Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) communications manager Michael Tull said today the alleged incident in Porirua occurred at Easter and police were notified at the time.
He said: "The staff member was immediately suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. This was completed last week, and the staff member has been dismissed."
Mr Tull said that the matter was now in the hands of police.
The investigation came after two staff members were sacked and one suspended from Haumietiketike, a hospital ward in Porirua, near Wellington.
Ministry of Health chief advisor for disability services Lester Mundell at the time denied there was a pattern of abuse present in the unit.
"A number of incidents will occur with a population of people like this. Those are properly documented and the more serious ones are brought to our attention," he said then.
- NZPA
