A Brisbane nurse has shared CCTV footage of the moment he was forced to use his martial arts training to defend himself, after being assaulted by a patient.
Daniel Nelson, a registered nurse with the Australian Army, was attacked outside the entrance to a Brisbane hospital’s emergency department in October 2024, after escorting an aggressive patient from the building.
Video footage shared by Nelson on LinkedIn shows the patient appearing to leave before suddenly turning back, throwing objects and attempting to strike him.
Nelson blocked the attack, restrained the man with a jiu-jitsu-style takedown and held him on the ground until security arrived.
“This is a side of healthcare that many people never see,” he wrote.
“The patient had been verbally abusing staff, spitting on the floor, and behaving aggressively.
“After being asked to leave, I escorted him outside.
“Somewhere along the way, he decided assaulting the nurse was a good idea,” he said, adding the patient had shown signs of intoxication.
Nelson, who has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for more than a decade, said he was able to protect himself, but worried the outcome could have been very different.
“What if he had targeted a nurse half my size? A new graduate? A student? Someone without the ability or confidence to physically defend themselves?” he said.
He added that it was “unacceptable” for healthcare workers and hospital security staff to face the threat of assault at work.
“Nurses, doctors, paramedics, security staff and all healthcare professionals are there to care for people, often on the worst days of their lives… Assaults on healthcare workers are not ‘just part of the job.'”
Nelson said the patient later pleaded guilty to common assault and was fined $450.
The incident comes amid ongoing concerns about violence in Queensland hospitals.
A survey of more than 1,200 Queensland Health workers by the Australian Workers Union found 69 per cent had either been assaulted or witnessed an assault in the workplace, while 70 per cent believed there were not enough security officers at their facility, or none at all.
The Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union has called on the state government to review workplace violence and strengthen protections for healthcare staff.
“Nurses and midwives should not have to defend themselves from violent behaviour in the workplace,” secretary Sarah Beaman said.
“While nurses and midwives receive occupational violence prevention training, we expect employers to do more to ensure when behaviour does escalate there are de-escalation measures in place that do not rely on nurses and midwives having to use reasonable force to protect themselves from harm.
“Occupational violence is at alarming levels, and this is not new news.”
A spokesperson for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said: “Healthcare workers, patients and the community deserve to feel safe and supported in all Queensland Health facilities.
“The Crisafulli government is not sitting idly when it comes to violence in the workplace.”
Image: Daniel Nelson LinkedIn
