A man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of a nurse at Royal Oldham hospital.
Roman Haque, 37, was charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article, after an incident in the hospital’s acute medical unit on Saturday night.
During a five-minute hearing at Manchester magistrates court, Haque, from Royton in Oldham, was remanded into custody to appear at Manchester Minshull Street crown court on 18 February.
The defendant appeared in the dock wearing a grey sweatshirt, and was not asked to indicate a plea. He spoke only to confirm his personal details, giving his name as Mohammed Roman Haque.
The healthcare worker, named in court as Achamma Cherian, is said to have suffered “life-changing” injuries, and remains in hospital.
She is alleged to have been attacked with scissors at about 11.30pm, during what is typically one of the hospital’s busiest shifts.
Greg Kemp, defending Haque, did not make an application for bail.
Addressing Haque, District Judge Hamilton said that the matter could be dealt with only at the crown court, telling him: “Between now and then you will be remanded in custody.”
Staff at the hospital were “incredibly shocked and saddened” by the incident, said Heather Caudle, the chief nursing officer at Northern Care Alliance NHS foundation trust, which oversees the Royal Oldham hospital.
“Our focus is on supporting the colleague involved and their family,” she said. “Our thoughts are also with colleagues and patients who were there at the time of the incident and for whom this has been distressing and frightening.”
She said that all services at the hospital remained open, and staff would continue to support police with their investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the nurse as she continues to receive treatment in hospital for her injuries, and our priority remains supporting her, her family, and her colleagues at this difficult time,” Det Supt Matt Walker from the Oldham district said on Monday.
“We continue to work closely with our NHS colleagues to support anyone who has been affected by this incident.”
An NHS staff survey last year revealed high levels of physical violence faced by healthcare workers, with 13.7% of employees having experienced at least one incident of physical violence in the previous year, rising to 27.6% for ambulance staff.