Staff at a South Australian regional hospital were left terrified by an early morning incident in which a man smashed a dozen windows before being tasered by police, the nurses' union says.
A man has been arrested over the incident at Wallaroo Hospital, in which he allegedly broke 10 glass panels at the entrance and two windows of an ambulance just after midnight on Wednesday.
A police patrol was already on scene dealing with what the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) described as a separate occurrence of "aggressive behaviour" when a duress alarm was triggered at the site in response to the smashed windows.
A second patrol then attended and the man was tasered and detained, and was later charged with two counts of property damage.
The ANMF said a security camera outside the hospital and four panels of the main entrance door were among the items smashed, and has said the incident is further proof of the need "for increased security measures".
"This terrifying incident only underscores the urgent need for 24/7 restraint-trained security guards at all regional hospitals," the union's SA branch secretary Elizabeth Dabars said in a statement.
"Hospitals like Wallaroo should not have to rely on police call-outs and hope that they are able to respond in time.
"Members are in fear of returning to work and have suffered psychological injuries."
The union said it would take up the matter with Health Minister Chris Picton.
In a statement, Mr Picton said he had attended the hospital on Wednesday "to inspect the damage and ask that management offer support to the staff involved".
He described the incident as "violent and frightening" and said he was "thankful that affected staff are being supported".
"I have asked the Local Health Network to then review the incident and any improvements that need to be made," he said.
"Healthcare staff deserve to feel safe at work."
