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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-07 Daily Xml
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Regional Hospital Security

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Are restraint-trained security guards in place at Wallaroo, Port Pirie and Riverland regional hospitals? If not, will the minister take action to introduce them? With your leave and that of the house, sir, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: On 23 February this year, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said, and I quote:

Port Pirie hospital, Wallaroo, Riverland General Hospital and many other regional hospitals have no 24/7 restraint-trained security, meaning nurses and hospital staff are left to fend for themselves until police arrive.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:05): Thank you for the question from the member for Frome. Very clearly, there is a need for improvements in terms of security for our staff right across South Australia. That's why we have already taken action in this regard since we have been in office, working, of course, in conjunction with our local health networks and their boards who, under the Healthcare Act, have responsibility for the delivery of their local health services.

This was a significant issue that was raised in the Port Lincoln hospital over a number of years, with a number of high-profile issues that happened in that hospital over the previous term of the Marshall Liberal government. Of course, no action was taken in relation to security guards at that hospital at all. Of course, now we have seen 24/7 security guards—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Frome!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —installed under this government at the Port Lincoln hospital, which is an excellent addition to those services. In addition, we had a very little amount of security available in the Mount Gambier hospital as well. This was an issue that was raised repeatedly. We have now seen an increase in the security that is available at that hospital as well.

Of course, in addition, we know that there are more sites where we will have to consider this. I have asked the local health networks—and in this case the member refers to those hospitals—in this case the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network and also the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network to look into the security arrangements in place at those major hospital sites in their area, to look at what we have done in Port Lincoln and Mount Gambier in improving that security, and make sure that we have the right security arrangements in place.

In addition, across the whole state, we are implementing, in conjunction with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, a 10-point plan in relation to security for nurses and midwives and other staff across South Australia in our hospitals. This is something that the ANMF had previously been trying to work collaboratively with the government on and they were being told, 'We're not going to do this.' They were being refused to work collaboratively with the government on this.

We are taking up the mantle and working on this issue because we do know that we do need to improve the protection of our hardworking staff who day in and day out protect South Australians and care for South Australians and, unfortunately, there are times when people are violent against our healthcare workers, which is absolutely shameful. I don't think anybody in this house or in the broader community would support our healthcare heroes being treated in that way. So we will continue to work with the ANMF and I will continue to work with our regional local health network boards to make sure that we improve the security for our hardworking healthcare heroes.

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