❓ The Minister for Health provides an update on the Stop the Violence summit, detailing discussions with stakeholders and planned actions to reduce aggression against healthcare workers, including increased security and community responsibility.
AnsweredQoN 510Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH STAFF —
ASSAULTS AGAINST
510. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to protecting our frontline health workers and
combating the rising levels of violence against our hospital staff. Can the
minister update the house on how the outcomes of the Stop the Violence summit
will help determine what further action needs to be taken to protect those
working in our hospitals?
ASSAULTS AGAINST
510. Mrs J.M.C. STOJKOVSKI to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to protecting our frontline health workers and
combating the rising levels of violence against our hospital staff. Can the
minister update the house on how the outcomes of the Stop the Violence summit
will help determine what further action needs to be taken to protect those
working in our hospitals?
AnswerView source ↗
I would like to thank the member for
the question about a very important issue that is impacting on our frontline
workers in our hospitals. Last Friday, I brought together over 110 frontline
hospital and senior healthcare staff, as well as security, unions, St John
Ambulance, the WA Police Force and other key stakeholders. We will not tolerate
any violence or acts of aggression on our frontline health workers. They work
in a care industry and they do not come to work to experience aggression,
antisocial behaviour or other unacceptable behaviour, yet statistics show there
has been a 38 per cent increase in assaults on nurses between the second half
of 2017 and the same period in 2018. Last Friday's summit was an
important opportunity to sit down with healthcare staff and share accounts of
experiences with aggressive and violent individuals. I have to say that some of
these experiences were pretty harrowing, pretty disturbing and pretty
distressing. That is why it is important that this sector and this government
does everything it can to reduce the incidence of aggressive behaviour in our
hospitals.
Insights gained from these
discussions are being compiled and will form the basis of a summit report. I have
asked the director general to personally oversee the work that is being done
inside the Department of Health to put in place a range of activities that will
reduce the amount of aggressive behaviour in our emergency departments in
particular, and make sure we put in place strategies that anticipate that
behaviour and make sure we get ahead of it. The people at the summit were
interested in talking about the number of security staff on our wards and in
the ED, the powers that they have, and particularly the relationship they have
with the police force, and how they can anticipate particular patients coming
into the hospital and how better to prepare for them and respond to the
behaviours that they may exhibit.
It was a great activity on Friday.
It speaks volumes for the resolve that the McGowan government has to make sure
we reduce the amount of aggression in our healthcare system. It comes off the
back of our election commitment to invest over $2 million in equipment that
will better equip our staff to make sure they can respond to aggressive
behaviour. At the end of the day, it is all our responsibility. Members of the
community have to take personal responsibility for their own behaviour. They
have to understand that it is not acceptable to be aggressive or act in an
antisocial manner against our nurses and doctors, because they do a great job
in caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I very much
look forward to speedily putting in place the outcomes of that summit.
the question about a very important issue that is impacting on our frontline
workers in our hospitals. Last Friday, I brought together over 110 frontline
hospital and senior healthcare staff, as well as security, unions, St John
Ambulance, the WA Police Force and other key stakeholders. We will not tolerate
any violence or acts of aggression on our frontline health workers. They work
in a care industry and they do not come to work to experience aggression,
antisocial behaviour or other unacceptable behaviour, yet statistics show there
has been a 38 per cent increase in assaults on nurses between the second half
of 2017 and the same period in 2018. Last Friday's summit was an
important opportunity to sit down with healthcare staff and share accounts of
experiences with aggressive and violent individuals. I have to say that some of
these experiences were pretty harrowing, pretty disturbing and pretty
distressing. That is why it is important that this sector and this government
does everything it can to reduce the incidence of aggressive behaviour in our
hospitals.
Insights gained from these
discussions are being compiled and will form the basis of a summit report. I have
asked the director general to personally oversee the work that is being done
inside the Department of Health to put in place a range of activities that will
reduce the amount of aggressive behaviour in our emergency departments in
particular, and make sure we put in place strategies that anticipate that
behaviour and make sure we get ahead of it. The people at the summit were
interested in talking about the number of security staff on our wards and in
the ED, the powers that they have, and particularly the relationship they have
with the police force, and how they can anticipate particular patients coming
into the hospital and how better to prepare for them and respond to the
behaviours that they may exhibit.
It was a great activity on Friday.
It speaks volumes for the resolve that the McGowan government has to make sure
we reduce the amount of aggression in our healthcare system. It comes off the
back of our election commitment to invest over $2 million in equipment that
will better equip our staff to make sure they can respond to aggressive
behaviour. At the end of the day, it is all our responsibility. Members of the
community have to take personal responsibility for their own behaviour. They
have to understand that it is not acceptable to be aggressive or act in an
antisocial manner against our nurses and doctors, because they do a great job
in caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I very much
look forward to speedily putting in place the outcomes of that summit.
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