Hospital abuse growing
Record number of staff assaulted, threatened
GEELONG hospital staff are being assaulted, abused and threatened in record numbers, with more than 1200 occupational violence incidents recorded in 2018/19, a new report has revealed.
On average, 3.4 violent incidents against staff were reported every day of the year.
The disturbing statistics come as the hospital struggles to see emergency department patients within target times, with a record number of sick and injured attending the hospital.
More than a third of ED
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He said Jimmy was well behaved and miraculously was uninjured, despite his fall.
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Commander nder Sinkinson said rescuing aninimals wasn’t ’t uncommon n for CFA crews.
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The dog was microchipped and his owner’s father Butch Barr was overjoyed to be reunited with Jimmy
“I expect he’s looking forward to a nice rest in front of the fire,” Mr Sinkinson said. patients were stuck there for more than four hours last financial year. In one case a patient was left to wait for more than 24 hours.
Barwon Health’s 2018/19 Annual Report was released on Thursday, with the region’s chief health provider scraping by with a $270,847 operating surplus.
The report revealed 1233 occupational violence incidents were reported in the 12month period, at a rate of 26.81 incidents per 100 full time equivalent employees.
About a third of the incidents resulted in staff injury, illness or conditions rated “mild harm” or worse.
The rate of violence incidents increased by almost 60 per cent on the previous year.
“The safety of Barwon Health staff and patients is a responsibility we take very seriously, and violence and aggression is not tolerated at our sites,” Barwon Health spokeswoman Kate Bibby said.
“We are continually reviewing our systems to provide the safest possible environment at Barwon Health sites and are pleased that campaigns have been effective to improve the reporting of violent and aggressive incidents.”
Barwon Health chairman Brian Cook and chief executive Frances Diver noted population pressures throughout the region brought challenges, and increased pressure on services.
Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates in March revealed the City of Greater Geelong’s population grew by 2.6 per cent in the year to June 2018 — swelling to about 252,000 people.
Demand on Geelong hospital’s emergency department jumped by more than double the population growth rate, increasing by 6.5 per cent to 78,126 patients in 2018/19 — an average of 214 every day.
The increased demand came as the hospital failed to meet four of five emergency care targets, with just half (55.8 per cent) of “triage category 1 to 5 emergency patients seen within clinically recommended time”.
Ms Bibby said Barwon health expected emergency presentations to grow each year, due to population growth and increasingly complex needs of an ageing community.