Two more nurses have been assaulted at Canberra's adult mental health unit as ACT Health tries to deal with a spike in safety issues at the facility.
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Fairfax Media believes there were two incidents on Monday at the unit, which has been grappling with staffing issues.
In one incident, a female nurse was hit by a female patient until another staff member intervened.
In the second incident, a male nurse was sent to the emergency department after stopping a chair that was thrown at another staff member.
ACT Health would not confirm either incident but said staff and management were meeting weekly to try to resolve the crisis.
Fairfax Media revealed last week there had been a spate of assaults at the unit due to a shortage of qualified mental health nurses and a high number of high-needs patients.
As many as five nurses were attacked in one week at the unit this month.
Nurses are calling for extra staff at the 35-bed unit and a 24-hour wards person to respond to calls for assistance. ACT Health has promised to employ an extra clinical nurse consultant to manage the wards.
A spokeswoman said on Wednesday that Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol and Drug Services were ''actively managing the spike in safety and security issues''.
A weekly meeting of management, staff and the Australian Nursing Federation was trying to resolve ''issues including incidents of safety, security and staffing profiles''. The unit has developed an ''action plan'', which includes reviewing staff numbers and training for under-qualified staff.
The spokeswoman said the situation would be reviewed weekly until there was significant improvement.
ACT Mental Health executive director Katrina Bracher said last week the directorate was taking the concerns of staff ''really seriously''.
Ms Bracher said it was important the unit's focus remained therapeutic and not custodial.
''That means talking to people, monitoring early signs of deterioration, giving medication if needed,'' she said.
Fairfax Media revealed last week that some patients had been sent to Canberra's jail for incidents that occurred at the adult mental health unit.
On one occasion this year, a patient being treated for mental illness was charged for property damage at the unit and sent to the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
ACT Public Advocate Anita Phillips said the incident highlighted the ACT's desperate need for a forensic facility for patients who were at risk of coming into contact with the justice system.
Ms Phillips said the ACT government was lagging behind even regional centres in its planning of a forensic facility.
The designs for a 25-bed medium-secure facility in Symonston will not be complete until the end of this year.
''What we have is highly inappropriate for patients who are mentally unwell and may be at risk of coming into contact with the justice system,'' Ms Phillips said.