LOCAL nurses are being punched, having chairs thrown at them and being verbally abused while working, with nine incidents requiring a police presence at the Riverland General Hospital in the past month alone.
Riverland healthcare workers were regularly being exposed to “completely unacceptable” and “inappropriate conduct”, according to Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) SA Branch CEO and secretary, Adjunct Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars.
Prof Dabars called on the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network to implement similar measures to hospitals in Whyalla and Port Augusta that recently introduced 24/7 on-site security services.
“Given the circumstance of having nine police callouts within the space of one month, you cannot possibly argue that these measures are not required here at the Berri hospital,” she said.
“How much does it take to get action on this issue?
“Are they waiting for someone to be so brutally injured that they cannot return to work? Are they waiting for psychological damage that’s so irreparable that people can’t go back to work? What does it take for them to act on these extremely serious issues?”
“The SA Minister for Health (Stephen Wade) has to stop taking his hands off the wheel, step up and actually lead the health system both in country and metropolitan areas.”
Prof Dabars said the current workforce was being asked to work longer and harder as increased emergency department activity and other practice changes increased the demands on staff, and called on the State Government to develop a workforce plan.
“The more people are overworked and stretched, the more likely that frustrations will occur in the hospital because people are frustrated with the delays to care and that escalates the propensity for violence to occur,” she said.
“Equally, when violence does occur, it does make people question their career and makes them question whether they can continue to go on.
“There’s a lot of overtime and sick leave, and a lot of people questioning whether they can continue to go on.
“We have had these conversations directly with the Minister for Health and we have raised the concerns about the unreasonable pressures on the system and the unreasonable expectations on staff, the need for a workforce plan and also the need to address workplace violence.
“It’s just not good enough and it’s got
to stop.
“We do not expect the Minister to become an operational manager of the hospitals or the health system, but it is about setting the policy agenda, being the leader in that environment and setting the tone from the top.”
With birthing services at the Waikerie Health Service currently suspended indefinitely, Prof Dabars said she feared similar suspensions or closures in the future if the current situation was allowed to “fester”.
“The predictions are that 50 per cent of the workforce will retire over the next five to 10 years, both country and metro alike,” she said.
“Without a plan in place, I cannot see how these country hospitals – whether it’s birthing services or even nursing services – can continue to operate.
“We did look for rural and remote incentives encouraging nurses and midwifes to come to rural and remote areas during negotiations over the last enterprise bargaining agreement and the Government wouldn’t even entertain it.
“Quite frankly, both the staff and the community they serve are all suffering.
“These women are in tears, they are distressed, and they are anxious that they are going to cause mistakes and that their actions will result in a fatality.
“They are crying out, and have been crying out, for help with staffing levels, skills mix, fatigue management and addressing the scourge of violence. This is just an ongoing systemic problem and the continuing failure from the Government to step in and lead on these issues makes them culpable in the result.”
Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone told the Murray Pioneer that the State Government was working on improving staff numbers in the health system and condemned the abuse of local health workers.
“The acts are totally unacceptable, particularly against our frontline staff who are there to protect us and look after us in times of need,” Mr Whetstone said.
“The growing pressure on our health system is something that our Government is addressing.
“Previous governments, over a number of years, have closed mental health facilities around the state… so it puts pressure on our hospitals and in particular on our regional Local Health Network.
“That’s why it is so important that we look at proposals like the one put forward by (RMCLHN executive director of clinical innovation) Dr Paul Worley to train junior doctors, interns and nurses for their full term up here in the Riverland.”
Mr Whetsone said he was “somewhat alarmed” by some of Ms Dabars’ comments.
“I can proudly say I’m part of a Government that is putting significant resources – over $2 billion – back into the health system,” he said,
“We are opening hospitals and looking at initiatives that train staff in the regions so we can have retention of those staff.”
Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Stephen Wade, was contacted for comment, but failed to respond.
Prof Dabars also highlighted staffing shortages at the Waikerie and Barmera health services after meeting with nursing and midwifery staff last Thursday.
“Of course there is the issue of birthing and maternity services in Waikerie, but they also have security issues – there’s no swipe cards despite that being raised as an issue for years,” she said.
“At Barmera a lot of it is about staffing availability as well. Their baseline staffing is really struggling to deal with what they’ve currently got.”
Prof Dabars said the ANMF had written to all country Local Health Network CEOs to remind them of the “legal requirement to provide a safe work environment”.