A former hospital employee is facing a sexual assault charge in connection with an alleged incident at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
Halifax Regional Police received a complaint from an 18-year-old woman on April 22.
Police allege the woman was being prepped for surgery on April 15 when a staff member observed a patient attendant, who was assisting in surgery preparation, touch the woman inappropriately.
Police said the woman was sedated at the time.
“The patient was defenseless; she was being prepared to undergo surgery,” said Cst. Pierre Bourdages, spokesperson for Halifax Regional Police.
A suspect was arrested Tuesday morning after he turned himself in at police headquarters.
Scott Christopher Goreham is facing a charge of sexual assault in connection with the alleged incident.
The 43-year-old Lower Prospect man will remain in custody until Wednesday when he returns to court for a bail hearing.
Capital Health said the staff member reported the allegations a day after the alleged offence.
Goreham was suspended within 24 hours, and Capital Health immediately launched its own investigation, the health authority said.
Goreham, who had cared for hospital patients in Halifax for 15 years, was fired two weeks later.
“Certainly there are no other complaints that we have on record of these events in this case,” said Kathy MacNeil, Capital Health’s vice-president of people services.
Capital Health said its investigation did not find any gaps in the safeguards that are in place to protect patients.
“It is not our practice for patient attendants to be alone in the room with sedated patients,” MacNeil said.
“If a patient is under sedation, an anesthetist or an anesthesia assistant would be there as well. Also, the nurse,” MacNeil said.
Cst. Bourdages said police have no evidence of any other criminal incident or sexual assault involving Goreham.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
