SAVE OUR MEDICS
Nurses, docs under siege with threats to staff up 60 per cent
THREATS experienced by Geelong hospital emergency staff while on the job have increased by 60 per cent in the past year.
Verbal and physical abuse, and exposure to weapons, have become a daily danger and alcohol, recreational drugs and mental health issues have all contributed to the rise.
In 2016, the emergency department recorded an average of 28 ‘code grey’ incidents a month, a figure that has escalated to 45 a month this year, with 70 in May alone. These incidents are defined as personal threats from patients or visitors who are unarmed.
THREATS experienced by Geelong hospital emergency staff while on the job have increased by 60 per cent in the past year.
Verbal and physical abuse, and exposure to weapons, have become a daily danger, and alcohol, recreational drugs and mental health issues have all been blamed for the rise.
Now Barwon Health is planning to lobby the Department of Health for further funding to bolster security and support the prevention of violence and aggression towards staff.
In 2016, the emergency department recorded an average of 28 “code grey”’ incidents a month, a figure that has escalated to 45 a month this year, with 70 in May alone.
These incidents are defined as personal threats from patients or visitors who are unarmed, and can be physical or verbal interactions.
The surge has prompted the funding of a Behavioural Assessment Room to assess and manage aggressive patients away from the general public.
According to WorkSafe, up to 95 per cent of healthcare workers have experienced verbal or physical assault on the job.
The hostility experienced by emergency department staff is not always from patients, but also from patients’ friends and family.
Now Barwon Health staff are calling for a greater respect for the those at the frontline of stressful and unpredictable medical emergencies.
Emergency department nurse unit manager Kathryn Ackland welcomed WorkSafe’s recently launched “It’s Never OK” campaign calling for the public to respect healthcare workers helping the ill and injured at their most vulnerable in increasingly challenging circumstances.
Ms Ackland said the number of code grey incidents called due to personal threats was far greater than those re- ported as Occupational Health and Safety incidents, leaving the impact of violence and aggression unknown.
“It has become part of our normal day-to-day job, which is unfortunate, so we hope this WorkSafe campaign encourages people to report the incidents of violence and aggression, as well as the effect it has on them,” she said.
“That’s the only way we’ll be able to ensure changes occur.”
Ms Ackland said alcohol, recreational drugs and mental health issues were the most frequent factors in the code grey incidents.
Earlier this month the State Government doubled its investment in the Health Service Violence Prevention Fund to $40 million.
As a result Geelong hospital plans to establish a Behavioural Assessment Room to assess and manage patients presenting with concerning behaviour.
“Being funded for a behavioural assessment room means we’ll be able to de-escalate behaviours of concern in an area away from the general emergency population,” Ms Ackland said.
“We have already taken steps to protect our paediatric patients’ exposure to this, with the recent opening of our Paediatric Short Stay Unit, which is physically separated from the general emergency area.”
The State Government yesterday announced up to 550 Melbourne paramedics will trial high-tech body cameras.
From next week, 150 cameras will be rolled out to 27 bran- ches and attached to paramedics’ uniforms when responding to volatile medical emergencies.
Last financial year, paramedics attended more than 5000 emergencies where they were exposed to violence or aggression — an average of 13 cases a day.
The cameras will be activated by paramedics if they feel at risk or are threatened, warning people they are being filmed.
The vision can then be used as evidence for police investigations and prosecutions.