New safety measures to protect staff at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital following attacks by loyalist paramilitaries are set to be unveiled this week, it emerged tonight.
Senior management, union representatives and a top RUC officer today held emergency talks in a bid to halt future assaults following ugly scenes when six workers were injured and others received death threats from a gang claiming to be Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) members.
Emerging from the meeting Patricia McKeown of the public service union Unison said embattled staff vented their anger at the lack of protection afforded to them in the west Belfast hospital.
She said: "We are hoping to hear on Friday the outcome that there have been a range of measures put in place.
"This was a very necessary meeting but it shouldn't have had to happen just because of my intervention, hopefully lessons have now been learned."
Ms McKeown also called for police patrols on the hospital grounds to be stepped down and expressed frustration that no one was arrested following the weekend attack.
Detectives investigating the incident on Saturday morning in the casualty department tonight studied video footage.
An RUC spokeswoman said: "The investigating team are anxious that staff come forward for interview to help further the investigation."
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams claimed the ongoing sectarian attacks were being fuelled by the current crisis in the pace process.
Urging the LVF to condemn the assault on hospital workers and to withdraw the threat against staff, he said: "You have had an increasing sectarian dimension coming mainstream because there's a vacuum where people have some sense of confidence in the institutions.
"It isn't so much that it's something new. The way it presents itself in this particular case may be rather unacceptable and new but it's just symptomatic of the sectarian undercurrent that's there.
"All of us who are involved in politics, and if I may say so particularly the two governments, need to be standing up for the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring that politics works and ensure that these people are isolated as they should be."
Church of Ireland Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev James Moore, said there was "no justification" for attacks and threats against Royal Victoria Hospital staff.
He said: "No community can afford to have violence directed at hospitals, social services centres, ambulances, fire brigades and police.
"These are services for everyone's good and to save and protect lives. It is time for those concerned to step back from violent acts and allow those working for the good of our local communities to do their work."
PA