❓ Hon. Aaron Stonehouse questions the Minister for Health regarding assaults on paramedics and the allocation of funding to protect them. The Minister provides assault figures for the past four years and states that the allocation of the $5 million funding boost is still to be finalised.
AnsweredQoN 933Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH STAFF —
ASSAULTS AGAINST — PARAMEDICS
933. Hon
AARON STONEHOUSE to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer the minister to his recent
Stop the Violence Summit in response to aggression against frontline health
staff, and particularly to the media release issued by his office on that
subject on Sunday, 11 August 2019.
(1) Will the
minister provide the most recent figures for assaults on paramedics here in Western
Australia, alongside comparison figures for the past five years?
(2) Will the minister confirm what portion of the $5 million
funding boost he announced in his media release he anticipates allocating
specifically to paramedics to better protect them as they go about their
life-saving work?
ASSAULTS AGAINST — PARAMEDICS
933. Hon
AARON STONEHOUSE to the parliamentary secretary representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer the minister to his recent
Stop the Violence Summit in response to aggression against frontline health
staff, and particularly to the media release issued by his office on that
subject on Sunday, 11 August 2019.
(1) Will the
minister provide the most recent figures for assaults on paramedics here in Western
Australia, alongside comparison figures for the past five years?
(2) Will the minister confirm what portion of the $5 million
funding boost he announced in his media release he anticipates allocating
specifically to paramedics to better protect them as they go about their
life-saving work?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I note that this question was submitted on 22 August
2019 and the information contained was correct, I am advised, as of that date.
(1) St John
Ambulance has advised that the number of assault incidents reported across the
past four financial years are as follows. The information is not available for
2014–15 and would require significant resources to undertake a manual
audit. For 2015–16, it was 98; 2016–17, 140; 2017–18,
142; and 2018–19, 115.
(2) The
allocation of the $5 million is still to be finalised, but it will include
initiatives concerning additional security, alcohol and other drug specialist
staff and a public awareness campaign. Other initiatives have already commenced
such as cooperation with the WA Police Force, reviewing equipment and
developing system-wide training. Additional funding to St John Ambulance is not
anticipated. All frontline staff will benefit from the measures being adopted
to improve staff safety.
some notice of the question. I note that this question was submitted on 22 August
2019 and the information contained was correct, I am advised, as of that date.
(1) St John
Ambulance has advised that the number of assault incidents reported across the
past four financial years are as follows. The information is not available for
2014–15 and would require significant resources to undertake a manual
audit. For 2015–16, it was 98; 2016–17, 140; 2017–18,
142; and 2018–19, 115.
(2) The
allocation of the $5 million is still to be finalised, but it will include
initiatives concerning additional security, alcohol and other drug specialist
staff and a public awareness campaign. Other initiatives have already commenced
such as cooperation with the WA Police Force, reviewing equipment and
developing system-wide training. Additional funding to St John Ambulance is not
anticipated. All frontline staff will benefit from the measures being adopted
to improve staff safety.
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