Hospital workers at risk
65% of nurses, PSWs in Ontario hospitals experienced physical violence in past year, survey finds
A new poll suggests more than 65 per cent of RPNs and PSWs working in Ontario hospitals have experienced physical violence by a patient in the past year.
And nearly half are afraid to speak up.
Scott Sharp, a former personal support worker at Guelph General Hospital, didn’t have to report his incident. A punch in the face by a violent patient left him on the floor in plain sight.
When he was called to help nurses dealing with a violent patient on an overnight shift, Sharp was clocked while trying to restrain the man. He fell onto his backside, his head hitting a steel plate before going through a wall.
Sharp’s head split open, but his spine was doctor’s biggest concern.
Today, nearly three years after the assault, Sharp needs a cane or a walker to get around, has trouble urinating and is battling depression. And due to medical expenses, he lost his house.
Stories like Sharp’s are the reason that the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – representing hospital staff such as PSWs, RPNs, cleaners and clerical staff – is asking the provincial and federal government for legislative and legal changes to protect health care staff.
Sharp, 48, had been working at Guelph General for about four years at the time of the incident. Because of his size – 6’4”, 260 pounds – he’d been asked to work the night shift to help deal with unruly patients. Night shifts at hospitals, Sharp said, are known to have “skeleton staff ” with half the amount of workers as a day shift, so they stick together to help each other out.
“The cleaning staff was even doing restraining because we have no body,” Sharp said during an interview in Peterborough Tuesday.
Sharp is touring cities with Michael Hurley, president of OHCU/CUPE, to share his story and inform citizens of needed changes to protect health care workers.
OCHU/CUPE represents 35,000 staff in Ontario. That includes staff members at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
While Sharp shares his story, Hurley is sharing the results of a public polling by members of OCHU. Nearly 2,000 members from seven Ontario hospitals, including Durham, Kingston, and Toronto,
RPNs and personal support workers PSWs are at a higher risk of abuse, the poll states.
The survey was conducted August through September. Looking at RPNs and PSWs, the poll indicates:
• 68 per cent of those polled have experienced one incident of physical violence (hitting, pushing, having things thrown at them) in the past year.
• 83 per cent of RPNs and PSWs have experienced one incident of non-physical violence (name calling, insults, threatening gestures, intimidation) in the past year.
• 42 per cent said they’d experienced one incident in the past year of sexual harassment or assault.
Yet despite the common thread, 44 per cent of those two groups polled stated they’re afraid of reprisal if they speak, in general, about the issue of violence.
Hurley referred to a nurse in North Bay who was fired two years ago for raising the issue of violence at work. OCHU/CUPE helped her get her job back.
But it sets a terrible precedent for health care staff to come forward.
“Nobody can afford to lose their jobs in this society,” Hurley said.
OCHU/CUPE is asking the provincial government for legislation to protect health care workers, so they can report violence freely and can speak up about it.
“Unless you can say, we’ve got a real problem here, you can’t deal with the problem,” Hurley said.
The union is also asking the federal government to amend the Criminal Code – like they did for transit staff – to make it a more serious offence if you assault a health care worker.
In addition, its seeking more funding from the province to increase staff on shift, particularly on nights and weekends where it’s currently lacking.
Hurley thinks the hospitals could be doing more, too, based on the numbers that indicate staff are afraid to speak up.
“The hospitals have a climate where they don’t hear about this problem – they know it goes on and they don’t want to hear about it,” Hurley said.
Part of the overall problem, is an expectation that it’s just part of health care workers’ jobs, that they knew that when they signed up, Hurley added.
Sharp finds that frustrating, especially since the man who hit him wasn’t charged.
“There’s no accountability. It’s a toxic culture where you can go into a hospital, beat the s--- out of a nurse or health care worker and there’s no accountability – that’s what needs to be changed,” Sharp said.