Increase in abuse and assaults on hospital staff
Mike Haden-Jones has been punched, slapped and throttled, all while trying to save lives.
The clinical nurse specialist works at Waikato Hospital’s ED and says it’s rare for him to go a month without copping verbal abuse while at work.
Physical abuse is less common, but its impact on hospital staff can be profound.
‘‘I had a female colleague punched in the head by a male and she said for about six months afterwards, she felt frightened every time she had to care for a male patient,’’ Haden-Jones said.
‘‘The thing with our jobs is we can’t do it at arm’s length. If you’re unwell, we have to be close to you.’’
Records obtained under the Official Information Act show 868 incidents of verbal abuse or physical assaults against Waikato DHB staff in 2017 – up from 690 in 2016.
And rising rates of aggression toward hospital staff isn’t confined to Waikato. DHBs across the country report an increase in assaults.
At Capital & Coast DHB, 272 physical assaults against staff were recorded in 2017, compared with 242 in 2016 and 98 in 2015.
At Southern DHB, 162 physical assaults were reported by staff in the first six months of 2017, compared with 192 incidents in the whole of 2016.
Auckland DHB recorded 620 assaults against staff in 2017, compared with 214 in 2016.
At Auckland hospitals, nurses have been given personal alarms to use.
In recent years, Waikato, Southern and Auckland have all changed the way assaults against staff are reported – a factor they say may have led to the increase in recorded assaults.
Waikato DHB spokeswoman Lydia Aydon said the health board introduced a new electronic system (DATIX) in 2016, replacing the old paper-based system.
The Waikato DHB had also put work into encouraging staff to log incidents of assault, Aydon said.
Waikato DHB data shows between 2016 and 2017, there were
729 incidents of physical assault,
148 cases of verbal abuse and 144 threats made against staff.
Aside from improvements in reporting systems, Haden-Jones said incidents of aggression towards hospital staff were on the rise.
Haden-Jones has been an ED nurse since 2000, and moved from the UK to New Zealand four-anda-half years ago.
‘‘When I arrived from the UK, for the first few weeks, I thought this place was amazing because no one was yelling at me or threatening me,’’ he said.
‘‘But in the past four-anda-half years, I have seen a change in behaviour to the point that abuse and assaults are happening frequently now. Unfortunately, violence, verbal abuse and intimidation are part of ED and that’s not specific to the Waikato, that’s a global issue.’’
Haden-Jones said emergency departments are ‘‘intensely emotional areas’’. Drugs and alcohol could trigger a patient to lash out.
‘‘We’re busier year on year, which creates its own pressures. People also have an expectation that things will be dealt with immediately and that creates hostility when they do have to wait.’’
Team spirit is crucial and within Waikato Hospital’s ED, a peer-support team steps in when staff are affected by abuse.
‘‘It acts as a metaphorical arm around the shoulder and we’ve found it incredibly useful,’’ Haden-Jones said.
‘‘Physical injuries disappear over time, but often it’s the mental issues that are harder to deal with. If you get verbally abused on the street, you’ve got the option of walking away. But our staff have to continue doing whatever it is they’re doing.’’
‘‘The thing with our jobs is we can’t do it at arm’s length.’’
Mike HadenJones