28 May 2021
A review has found the safety of Outback nurses is still at risk because health service providers have not properly written Gayle’s Law into their policies, The Advertiser reports.
Following the murder of South Australian remote area nurse Gayle Woodford in March, 2016, the ANMF (SA Branch) campaigned vigorously with Ms Woodford’s family for new legislation to protect nurses working in remote areas.
Ms Woodford was lured from her property in the small Outback community of Fregon by convicted sex offender Dudley Davey, who had claimed that his grandmother needed medical assistance. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment for Ms Woodford’s murder, with a non-parole period of 32 years.
Following robust campaigning from the ANMF, our members and Ms Woodford’s family, the State Parliament passed Gayle’s Law in November 2019, which legislated that no remote area health professional attend after-hours emergency callouts alone.
In April, the Deputy State Coroner recommended that this be extended to nurses being accompanied at any time.
The ANMF (SA Branch) also participated in the latest review led by Professor Robyn Aitken, of Flinders University.
The new review, tabled in State Parliament on Thursday, found the law had significantly improved the safety of health practitioners working in remote communities since it was implemented in 2019.
However, it found only four of 10 health service providers involved had specified in their policies that nurses cannot be directed or required to attend a call-out alone.
“The omission of this prohibition by 60 per cent of health service providers introduces the possibility that the safety of health practitioners may be at risk despite the introduction of the Act,” it says.
The review found the policies of some providers indicated “clinical risk (to patients) overrides safety”, The Advertiser reported. Some providers had policies that required consultation with a medical officer for advice about whether to attend a callout without a second person. “This approach misinterprets the regulations,” the review said.
“Having the Act in place was a vital step for improving the safety of Outback nurses but consistent implementation on the ground is critical to avoid any future tragedies,” said ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM.
The review found that, overall, there had been a “genuine commitment” from providers to implement Gayle’s Law. Professor Aitken made 18 recommendations, including that references to the “second responder” in the regulations should be changed to “safety worker” to better reflect the purpose of the role.
“A key finding was that the implementation of Gayle’s Law and regulations had a positive effect on the mental health of remote health professionals,’’ Professor Aitken said. “Not having to worry about whether there would be a second person, not having to weigh up the risk to the patient and the risk to themselves, and being confident that they were safe during callouts reduced anxiety and alleviated uncertainty,’’ Professor Aitken said.
“We look forward to the Government acting on our recommendations, and health services making relevant policy and procedural changes that can be implemented immediately.’’
Said Ms Dabars: “We have been strong advocates, alongside the Woodford family, for Gayle’s Law. It is fantastic news that it has clearly improved the safety of nurses working in remote areas. We now want to see it implemented by all health service providers.’’