A care worker who was punched in the stomach and suffered a very painful back injury was awarded €33,000 damages after a judge heard she had suffered a 10 per cent disability.

In a case against the Foundation for Social Protection Services, Nathalie Ciancio submitted that she had been punched by a patient who had acted violently in the past and, still, she was not given help despite her pleas.

She told Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon that, on March 10, 2004, she had accompanied a patient to St Luke’s Hospital.

A colleague was with her at the time. The patient was given a bed but he had to wait about 90 minutes for a doctor to see him and he became agitated.

The doctor who examined the patient found that he required a catheter.

Two nurses applied the catheter although the patient objected.

He even tried to remove it and as they tried to stop him he lashed out, hitting Ms Ciancio in her stomach with both hands . The force was enough to throw her into the middle of the room. Her colleague was hit in the neck.

Tests showed that she had the beginning of a slipped disc and problems in her muscles and nerves.

Ms Ciancio said that although she had returned to work, she eventually had to stop.

She could perform household chores, such as washing the floor or even hanging the laundry, either, she said in court.

The judge noted that the patient in question had previously acted very aggressively, as documented by the Foundation for Social Protection Services.

The court noted that Ms Ciancio and her co-workers had been exposed to safety risks and it was up to the foundation to take effective precautionary measures.

Ms Ciancio was awarded €33,160 damages.