Hospital increased security after sexual assault

An extra £250,000 was invested in hospital security after an elderly woman was sexually assaulted while she was a patient in Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Peter Dzudza, who was a drug user and had schizophrenia, sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman in a private cubicle at the hospital.

Dzudza, 28, was jailed for 27 months in September after a judge at Bradford Crown Court heard the distressing background to the incident.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said they had increased security presence and provided body worn cameras for clinical staff.

In a question to Bradford Council bosses after the sentencing of Dzudza, councillor Sirferaz Saddiq asked what steps had been taken to ensure a "failure in safeguarding protocols" never happened again, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She added: "The public deserves transparency in understanding how such a breach could occur, who was responsible, and what actions are being taken to restore trust in the hospital's safeguarding practices."

Dzudza was homeless and said he had been "staying" in the hospital when he committed the offence as the woman awaited an X-ray.

The response from Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust to the question has just been published by the council.

It said: "Our immediate response to the incident was to increase further investment and resourcing in our existing 24/7 security presence within our hospitals.

"This is an additional £250,000 that has increased security presence to protect patients and our staff.

"In addition we have provided body worn cameras for clinical staff, this provides further assurance to our colleagues who can be the subject of violence and aggression.

"We continue to remind our colleagues to check and challenge anyone who enters our premises without reason for doing so.

"We welcome the support of wider partners in ensuring people are aware of our check and challenge approach, understanding why they may be asked about the purpose of their visit and their movements while on trust premises."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.