ONA works to protect front-line caregivers
Re Violence against nurses opens eyes, Letters,
Nov. 8 The Toronto Star has done an excellent job of reporting on the growing incidence of workplace violence in health care, as have many other media outlets in Ontario. Hence my surprise that Marguerite Langley, a retired registered nurse, appears to blame nurses and their organizations (CNO, ONA and the RNAO) for failing to provide appropriate training in patient-centred care.
As a highly experienced registered nurse myself, I know that nothing is more important to me and to ONA’s 65,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals than our patients. As ONA president, I know that we have been a leader and a loud voice in calling for measures to protect our front-line caregivers from the kind of workplace violence that is increasing in frequency and severity.
In response to the letter of Basu Bose, I want to vigorously object to the statement that unions and the media have done nothing. For many years, ONA has been working through the media, with employers and the government advocating for better workplace violence policies, procedures and training — and security — to stop our members from being kicked, choked, stabbed, slapped and more. It is a daily occurrence, and part of the problem is a workplace culture that both expects and ignores it.
Nurses are discouraged by their employers from reporting incidents of workplace violence. Their managers usually fail to contact police in these cases of assault and, often, if police are called, they refrain from charging those who commit the assaults. The attitude seems to be that violence is just part of the job — something ONA is working very, very hard to change.
Thank you to the Star for continuing to report on workplace violence in health care. I remain ever-hopeful that by continuing to speak out against a workplace culture that accepts attacks on health-care providers, we will one day persuade our employers to take appropriate action. Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, president, Ontario Nurses’ Association, Toronto