NURSES have vowed to step up their campaign against violence in Victorian hospitals as the state government resists calls for extra security guards to be placed on wards.
Frustrated by the government stalling on a $21 million promise to curb hospital violence, the Australian Nursing Federation launched a campaign on Sunday, demanding a raft of extra safety measures in hospitals including Western, Williamstown and Sunshine.
Victorian branch secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said two dozen reported attacks against nurses in the past four months were only the tip of the iceberg.
“We see an increasing culture of fear,” she said. “We know nurses are being encouraged strongly to take special paid leave by hospitals rather than reporting incidents officially and through the independent regulator.”
Reported attacks include a nurse being bashed by a patient’s relative for serving sandwiches rather than a hot meal.
Casual threats of extreme violence are part of life for nurses, according to nurse Jackie, who did not want her surname published. She has worked for 17 years in regional and metropolitan Victorian hospitals. Patients have twice warned Jackie they will hunt her down and kill her family as well. “I looked after a woman who said, ‘If I ever see you out on the street you better be on the other side of the road or you’re dead’.
“She happened to live in my neighbourhood and I saw her at a local supermarket. I looked up and had a moment of ‘Oh, my God, where can I hide?’, but there was nowhere to hide.”
The ANF campaign is seeking public support for an online petition calling on the government to implement the 39 recommendations of the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee parliamentary inquiry into violence and security arrangements in Victorian hospitals. Measures include improved aggression management procedures and extra security personnel.
Premier Denis Napthine said the government had committed $5.6 million to improve safety in emergency departments and $12 million to help hospitals deal with drug and alcohol-affected patients.
Health Minister David Davis said the government had provided $75,000 to Western Health to improve safety and security, including an automatic security door at the Western Hospital emergency department and CCTV at Williamstown Hospital.
