“Number one priority”: Safety of NSW healthcare workers to be evaluated

By JUSTIN COOPER

NSW Health has announced a review into the implementation of security and safety measures of health care workers, focusing on the recommendations in the 2021 ‘Improvements to security in hospitals’ report.

The evaluation will focus on the 107 recommendations that were provided in the 2021 report by Hon. Peter Anderson, which was intended to improve security measures for staff, patients and visitors in NSW hospitals.

Announced by NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, the review has become his “number one priority” in committing to supporting safety and security for frontline health workers.

“The health environment is complex and our frontline health staff manage risks every day at work,” said Park. “Staff have a right to come to work without being injured.”

Speaking to 2GB Sydney, Park continued saying “I’m not going to have the situation where health workers, no matter what level they are in the system, feel as though they are just punching bags.”

The main recommendations  highlighted in the evaluation focused on improving the culture and practices of security and staff, through enhancing security accountability and leadership.

Additionally, the  evaluation ensures patient models and staff responses are capable of addressing security concerns involving aggression or violence. This will also be improved through standardised security practices and providing defensive equipment to security, set to be trialed in public hospitals.

Needed Support For Healthcare Workers

The evaluation is expected to involve many stakeholders and unions in progressing worker safety, following concerns with increased attacks on health care workers and the recent death of Steven Tougher who was killed in April 2023.

This review coincides with the recent quarterly report from the Bureau of Health Information (BHI), which identified the increasing demand for emergency departments in NSW over the past decade.

City Hub spoke with General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA), Shaye Candish, regarding the new evaluation.

Candish expressed that the union was “extremely concerned” for the safety of nurses and midwives, stating “nurses make up 85.5 percent of workers affected by violent incidents in hospital settings and more must be done.”

The NSWNMA and Candish commend the Health Minister for recognising the issue which has been rapidly affecting health staff over the past couple of years.

“We look forward to working with him on this important issue. We also welcome the opportunity to meet with Mr Anderson,” says Candish.

The Anderson Report Recommendations

Initially announced by former NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard in 2018, the 2019 Anderson Interim report noted “ever-increasing hospital presentations creating challenges in emergency departments (EDs) and wards” regarding patient care and treatment.

The report saw an increase in patients with “anger-related presentations”, especially those suffering from the influence of drugs or alcohol, aged-care individuals, and people from mental health services.

The majority of Anderson’s final report centred around the governance of security facilities, with security audits recommended for several NSW hospitals to ensure the “best practice across the whole system.”

Additionally, risk assessments from local health districts and specialty networks were to implement risk assessments to help manage rostering and the amount of security needed within facilities.

The new evaluation from the NSW Labor Government will hopefully continue to improve healthcare systems whilst providing the needed security and safety for health care workers.