Answers to Questions

Hospital Staff, Safety

In reply to Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (11 November 2014). (First Session)

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries):

The decision to pursue criminal charges against an assailant is a matter for South Australia Police (SAPOL) and of personal choice for staff members. Given this, SA Health does not record whether an individual staff member has pursued criminal charges and, therefore, this information cannot be extrapolated from the human resource file for statistical purposes.

SA Health takes incidents of assault against staff members very seriously. Matters are reported to SAPOL and immediate action is taken to ensure the continuing safety and well-being of the staff member.

If a staff member is assaulted, they are provided with immediate first aid, if deemed necessary. If the staff member is injured and needs time from work or medical assistance, they may make a claim for compensation and the rehabilitation consultant can help the staff member and coordinate their return to work and recovery.

The staff member or their supervisor is required to report the injury to the injury hotline, where referral occurs to a rehabilitation consultant, as required. Daily reports are provided to senior management.

The staff member, or delegate if needed, is required to complete an incident report. The circumstances are then investigated and assessed with respect to prevention of future occurrences.

Staff members are also encouraged to contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential counselling, which is provided at no cost to the employee and their immediate family members. The EAP service is also available 24/7 to provide critical incident response, when required.