Just curious what other hospitals policy is when an admitted patient is under a police hold, meaning they are to go into police custody/jail upon their discharge. Where I work it has been an issue of discontent among staff caring for these patients because many local police departments expect us to enforce the hold they have placed on the individual.
The majority of the time, we are instructed to avoid informing the patient of any discharge details. We are told to call the police department when we have a discharge date and time and they'll arrive to transport them to jail. We are also supposed to keep their street clothes out of the room.
Only twice have I seen the arresting police department arrange for an officer to stay with the patient 24/7 until discharge. Won't go into too much detail, but both of these people had allegedly committed very serious crimes which resulted in the injury/death of another person. However, we had another patient accused of the same type of crime and I never once saw the police. Also, I've never seen the police present for the many holds they place on people accused of less serious offenses.
I'm just wondering what or who determines when the police are required to stay with the patient as I've seen inconsistencies. I haven't seen anything official in our policy that addresses this issue. I think the hospital is taking on a huge liability by not requiring the police to enforce their holds.
I do not agree that it is my responsibility to stand guard for these people, who are often desperate to avoid going to jail. I will not chase them through the halls and out the door as they'd probably assault anyone getting in their way. I'm there to provide medical care, not to act as a free security guard for the police.
