ANMF (SA Branch) representatives visited Riverland General Hospital in Berri on Tuesday under a Right of Entry 117 following an incident involving a violent patient.
Emergency Department staff at Riverland General Hospital were forced to fend for themselves early Monday morning when a violent patient started throwing punches at them, before hurling chairs and repeatedly hitting entry doors until they cracked.
Nurses on the night shift were forced to call SA Police at 4am while ducking punches and projectiles and await their arrival where the man was apprehended and transferred to Adelaide for treatment.
The frightening incident comes as the ANMF (SA Branch) has been urging health authorities to implement 24/7 restraint-trained security guards at the Berri hospital, with 976 people signing an online petition to date.
The article attracted widespread media coverage earlier this week, with ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM once again highlighting the need for local health networks to prioritise the safety of employees.
“Nurses have been left feeling shaken after enduring what was likely a completely avoidable traumatising event, had security guards been in place,” Ms Dabars told media.
“This is exactly why we have been crying out for action to end violence and aggression in hospitals – nurses and other emergency staff deserve better than to be at the mercy of the availability of local police to reach the hospital before situations escalate out of control.”
Last week, SA Health data was released revealing more than 76,000 Code Black incidents had occurred across South Australian hospitals from 2016 to April this year – almost 30 a day.
SA Health data reveals 8227 reported incidents in metropolitan hospitals for 2016, with that figure jumping to 11,174 for 2022.
In regional hospitals the number leapt from 57 in 2016 to 219 in 2022.
The ANMF (SA Branch) has been campaigning for safety for staff across all local health networks, metropolitan and regional, with Ms Dabars having discussed the matter of violence and aggression with Minister for Health Chris Picton as recently as last week.
Sign the online petition for 24/7 restraint-trained security guards here.