Employee calls psychiatric institute a “pressure cooker” after fatal stabbing, suicide
The psychiatric institute Veldzicht in Balkbrug, where a patient stabbed an employee to death and injured two others before taking his own life on Saturday, is a “pressure cooker,” and things were bound to go wrong at some point. An employee of the clinic, which treats people sentenced to institutionalized care after committing a crime, anonymously told De Telegraaf.
“I have worked in several clinics, but this is the cream of the crop when it comes to patients with complex problems,” the employee said. “For example, severely traumatized asylum seekers. Some patients are never allowed to leave the house because they can be unpredictable and dangerous. That creates a lot of internal tension.”
“It is sometimes really a pressure cooker here,” the employee continued. “It is strictly prohibited for staff to talk to the media. But several employees think it is important that people know under which conditions they work and which patients are staying here.”
The Custodial Institutions Service (DJI) has not yet taken any extra measures at the clinic after the stabbing, a spokesperson for the DJI said to RTV Oost. According to the spokesperson, the DJI is awaiting the investigation into the incident. “Such investigation always leads to recommendations,” she said. She expects the clinic will take measures once the investigation is done.
Veldzicht director Hanny van Geffen said on Sunday that the coming days would focus on thinking about how to deal with the events. “With the anger, with the disappointment. I also do not think it is appropriate to have a plan for that right now. We first want to show that we are devastated. That we are just as sad. After a while, we will see what kind of plan lies underneath. But I think that sounds way too cold for now,” he said, according to NOS.
The incident happened at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. A patient stabbed an employee to death and injured two others. He then locked himself in another room and tried to set a fire before taking his own life. The two injured employees were admitted to a hospital. One had been discharged by Sunday, and the other was still hospitalized.
It is currently unknown how the patient got hold of the weapon he used, how he gained access to the staff area, and whether he previously caused problems at the institution. These are questions trade union FNV would also like answers to, director Yntse Koenen said on Sunday.
“This is very frightening. And also cause for great concern. I immediately contacted the director-general of the Custodial Institutions Service and said that authorities must get to the bottom of this,” said Koenen. “These are incidents with a very large impact. As FNV, we can only sympathize with staff and relatives at the moment.”
According to the Veldzicht website, the clinic mainly treats asylum seekers and foreigners who committed a crime due to mental illness. It also treats others sentenced to institutionalized psychiatric treatment who need intensive care.
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