Australia: Hospital violence shock

By Mark Worley, Mercury News

More than 350 “Code Black” alarms have been activated in Tasmania’s public hospitals during the last 12 months in response to threats of aggression or actual violence towards staff members.

Liberal health spokesman Brett Whiteley said nurses and other health professionals were being placed in “grave danger” by people turning up at hospitals under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

A Code Black alarm is where a staff member requires immediate assistance to deal with a threat of aggression, or actual violence, towards a hospital staff member or patient.

Mr Whiteley, who accessed the figures through a Freedom of Information request, said the State Government needed to find out why the number of alarms was so high.

“There is no way known that Minister (Lara) Giddings would not be aware that 350-plus Code Black indicators have been raised in a one-year period,” he said.

“What is she going to do about it?”

Australian Nursing Federation state acting secretary Agnes Spanislaus-Large said nurses were moving away from the profession because of aggression and violence in the workplace.

“We see our members reducing their hours, changing their areas of expertise, or simply walking away because of these factors,” Ms Spanislaus-Large said.

Health Minister Lara Giddings said it was an “unfortunate blight on the community” that there had been an increased amount of aggression in hospitals.

She singled out emergency departments as being one of the worst affected areas of hospitals.

“I do not want to inflate this because it is not a huge issue but, with some forms of drug addiction, we do have problems with people turning up to our emergency departments quite aggressive,” Ms Giddings said.

But the Government has ensured appropriate processes were in place to deal with incidents of aggression, including providing a purpose-built isolation room in emergency departments.