Nearly 7,500 violent incidents towards staff at one of Australia’s biggest hospitals were reported in 2017 – with patients spitting, punching and hurling chairs at staff in the emergency room.
Shocking footage has been released by the Royal Melbourne Hospital as part of a new campaign about aggression in the Emergency Department.
Out of all the incidents taking place or about to take place in the ED, there were nine which included a weapon.
Shocking footage has been released by the Royal Melbourne Hospital as part of a new campaign
The hospital has released the footage highlighting the serious incidents staff have to deal with
This is a reported 85 per cent increase on the number of incidents just four years ago at the hospital’s City Campus site, according to the Herald Sun.
But the hospital has released a new video highlighting the serious incidents staff have to deal with on an all-too regular basis.
Susan Harding, the hospital’s Emergency Department nurse unit manager, said: ‘We hope the video has a positive effect on people in the ED waiting room and watching this on social media.
‘It incorporates examples of what emergency staff experience and CCTV footage of actual incidents.
Patients spitting, punching and even attacking medical staff with a chair have been caught on CCTV
Nearly 7,500 cases of violence on staff were reported at one of Australia’s biggest hospitals in 2017
‘We want our patients and visitors to understand we are committed to providing the best possible care for them, but to do this we must ensure the absolute safety of the people who provide that care.
‘We understand long waits and being in hospital can be stressful but any act of violence and aggression is unacceptable.’
The video was launched ahead of a conference held in Melbourne last week looking at ways to improve hospital safety and security.
Susan Harding (pictured) made the plea and launched the video at a conference looking at ways to improve hospital safety and security
It is also now online and will be played inside the emergency room.
Some 95% of healthcare workers have experienced some from of assault, either verbal or physical, according to WorkSafe Victoria.
But staff on the frontline are calling for a complete change of mindset where violence and aggression in the workplace is not thought to be ‘just part of the job’, Ms Harding added.
‘We really wanted to change the thinking and help our staff to understand that violence and aggression in their workplace is unacceptable, and that’s not what they come to work for every day.’
The campaign follows another shocking incident in Perth when a doctor was put in a chokehold.
Staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s emergency department are hoping to raise awareness of the level of abuse they suffer from patients
Health chiefs in Western Australia have even taken the dramatic step to ensure staff are trained in self-defense techniques by the police.
Most of the reports at the RMH were for physical violence, threatening behaviour and harassment.
Just four years ago the number of incidents nudged just above the 4,000 mark.
The campaign is part of the overall bid to improve working conditions for staff backed by the Victoria government’s Department of Health and Human Services and Worksafe Victoria’s Occupational Violence and Aggression campaign, which kicked off in 2017.