A NURSE was subjected to a terrifying assault as she treated a patient at a York health centre.

Jackie Jeffery, 38, was pushed against a wall by drunken Noel James Corr at the York NHS Walk-In Centre in Monkgate.

Corr subjected the nurse to a barrage of verbal abuse, and punched her in the back as she cried out in pain.

He was today starting an 18-month sentence for the assault, as fears grew about security at the walk-in centre.

Mrs Jeffery is now considering her nursing future.

Welcoming the sentence, Mrs Jeffery, a mother-of-three, said: "It was absolutely terrifying and incredibly painful."

The court heard Corr was being given a blood test when he flew into a rage.

Nurses tried to calm him before he violently squeezed Mrs Jeffery's hand.

Speaking after the case, the nurse recalled: "I had just treated a baby and he (Corr) came in shouting and screaming.

"He complained of chest pains, but there was nothing wrong with him.

"He was abusive, aggressive and drunk.

"I tried to pacify him, but he smashed my head against the wall and punched me in the back."

Mrs Jeffery, a nurse for 18 years who lives at Slingsby, added: "I'm thinking: 'Am I in the right job'?

"Nurses should not be assaulted at work. We're trying to help people."

Mrs Jeffery was off work for ten weeks after the attack, which happened at 8.30pm on July 1 last year.

She is still undergoing dental treatment to four damaged teeth.

The Evening Press understands that concerns have been raised at Monkgate about patients who are barred from York District Hospital A&E attending the walk-in centre, which is not currently protected by a security guard.

It is believed there have been spodaric assaults over the past two years, but nurses have been reluctant to press charges.

Edna Mulhearn, York branch secretary of public service union Unison, called on health bosses to review security at the walk-in centre in the wake of the court case.

"We need to make sure this does not happen again," she added.

"Sadly, violence is getting to be a hazard of the job and the centre is quite vulnerable."

Unison called for tougher powers so courts could treat people like Corr in the same way as those who attack police officers.

Selby and York Primary Care Trust said it took violence against staff seriously. Security was constantly reviewed and upgraded when needed.

A spokesman said CCTV operated in non-clinical areas, but not in clinical areas, for reasons of patient confidentiality. Emergency call alarms and security door locks also feature.

Corr, 46, of Speculation Street, York, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

In court he apologised for the attack, but said he could not remember it.

Hundreds of staff at York Hospital were last month supplied with personal attack alarms. The 110-decibel alarms were offered free of charge by York Hospitals NHS Trust and funded by the hospital's Staff Benefits Association.

Updated: 10:26 Friday, February 13, 2004