Patient stabs doctor at Whakatane Hospital

Police were called to Whakatane Hospital yesterday morning where a doctor had been assaulted by a patient. Photo/ File

A woman has been arrested following an attack on a doctor at Whakatane Hospital.

Rotorua police Senior Sergeant Dennis Murphy said Whakatane police were called to an incident at Whakatane Hospital about 10.45am yesterday, where a patient assaulted a doctor with a piece of glass from a photo frame and grabbed the doctor around the neck.

The doctor received superficial wounds, but was reportedly shaken by the attack.

Whakatane police Senior Sergeant Yvonne Parker said a 51-year-old female from Opotiki, who was a patient at the Whakatane Mental Health Unit, was arrested following the incident.

She was charged with assault and making threats to kill and was expected to appear in court in the coming days, she said.

Police said they assessed the woman's mental state before laying the charges.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief executive Phil Cammish said that any sort of violence against hospital staff was not acceptable, but would not comment further saying the issue was being dealt with by Whakatane Police.

"In line with our zero tolerance policy to violence, we will actively pursue action against anyone who threatens or commits violence against our staff," he said.