Staff warn of blind spots in new Aalborg psychiatric wards after weekend assault

Staff at Aalborg University Hospital’s forensic psychiatric unit have raised concerns about blind spots in newly built wards after an employee was assaulted by a patient over the weekend, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

Jakob Roland Kjærsgaard, deputy union representative for psychiatric nurses, told DR that the design of the new hospital’s psychiatric wards includes areas where patients can remain out of staff sightlines—posing a risk of ambush. “My greatest concern is that someone could be lying in wait and, in the worst case, assault staff,” he said.

The issue affects multiple units, including the forensic psychiatric ward and the locked intensive psychiatric ward S6. While the region’s chief physician, Christian Uggerby, stated in a written response that the wards generally offer “good visual oversight” with glass partitions reducing blind spots, staff dispute this claim. Photos provided to DR show areas in common rooms and kitchens where staff cannot monitor patient movements.

Security cameras installed in some areas are only actively monitored during night shifts, leaving daytime and evening shifts without coverage. “The cameras are only used at night. During the day and evening, the blind spots remain,” Kjærsgaard said. Uggerby acknowledged the cameras were primarily intended for nighttime oversight but noted they complement “numerous other security measures, routines, and procedures” in place.

Staff first warned about the risks of blind spots during the hospital’s construction phase over a decade ago. Kjærsgaard said concerns raised in 2014–2015 were ignored. The weekend assault, which sent two employees to emergency care, follows an earlier incident this year where a patient used a table leg as a weapon.