Whyalla Hospital

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:14): I rise today to speak about the serious concerns that have been expressed by staff at Whyalla Hospital, by doctors, nurses and other employees, about staff safety. As employees and medical professionals who visit the hospital—because it draws upon local GPs and others—they deserve a safe working environment. I am deeply concerned about the safety of workers and patients at Whyalla Hospital due to what appears to be an increase in threatening and violent behaviour. Of course, that is not something exclusive to Whyalla Hospital; other major regional hospitals also have similar experiences, as do hospitals in the metropolitan area.

There have been several incidents that have threatened the safety of employees, often during dealings with patients with mental health or substance abuse related issues, and sometimes a combination of both. Overall, people with mental health issues are no more violent than the rest of the population; in fact, they are less so. However, some people with particular mental health issues, especially when enhanced by substance abuse, do pose a significant threat to hospital workers. Of course, there are those people who are basically arseholes. I do not know whether that is parliamentary language—

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone: No, it's not.

Mr HUGHES: Well, there clearly are some people who are not very pleasant people. I have been told that most of the incidents have been at the accident and emergency section of the hospital. I have been contacted by several hospital employees and their family members. Their family members have expressed some serious concerns about potential serious consequences for their loved ones who work at the hospital.

They fear that somebody is going to get seriously hurt, or even worse, given the nature of some of the incidents. I also strongly believe that it is just a matter of time before something incredibly serious does happen at the hospital. There are designated security officers, but these are employees who have been nominated for this extra role, and it is something that falls well short of what is needed to ensure a safe working environment.

One of the concerning things is that, for some of the nurses and some of the other people at the hospital, it almost becomes a normal situation that they put up with as part of their day-to-day work. But that is not acceptable, and a number of people are now speaking out and wanting action. It is time that properly resourced measures are put in place so that our nurses, doctors and other workers can get on with their job in a safe manner, and the department does have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment.

Employees have requested that security guards be employed at Whyalla Hospital so that they can be there promptly when these incidents occur, or when the situation is about to escalate, rather than waiting for the attendance of police, who are often stretched elsewhere out in the community and often not in a position to respond as rapidly as some people would like. Unfortunately, it is a sign of the times that employees are increasingly having to deal with patients with substance abuse issues and alcohol-fuelled violence. It is clear that ice has had an impact, but alcohol is still one of the main contributors to violence and potential violence in a hospital, so it is time that urgent action is taken.

I did write to the minister last week. I know that the minister is a decent man and that he will want to do something about this. I do not envy the Minister for Health. It is an incredibly challenging role, irrespective of the government that is in power. The competition for resources is huge and we know it is the largest budget item, but, at the end of the day, people deserve a safe working environment.