Blacktown Hospital gets security boost in new trial
The hospital is one of three across the state to be selected for the trial, which comes after nurses raised concerns about their personal safety.
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Blacktown Hospital will receive extra security staff next week as part of a new trial from the State Government.
The hospital is one of three to be selected for the pilot program across the state, including Gosford and Wyong, with additional security officers deployed to monitor the emergency department and CCTV screens across the hospital.
The three-month trial aims to address potential security issues and assess whether additional safeguards are needed for hospital staff and patients.
The security boost comes after nurses at the hospital demanded funding for extra security following a series of assaults on staff in the hospital’s aged care unit.
In July, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association raised concerns over the safety of staff, revealing that staff been choked, groped and punched in the face while on the job.
Western Sydney Local Health District chief executive Graeme Loy welcomed the hospital’s selection in the program.
“The trial will begin in our new emergency department which opened in August this year and is part of the State Government’s $700 million Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals’ expansion project,” Mr Loy said.
“We will work with our staff to identify ways to improve our safety culture and develop systems to create a safer space for staff and patients.
“Violence at our health facilities is never okay. I thank our staff for their compassion and commitment to providing care to our community.”
Mr Loy said $19 million worth of improvements to upgrade CCTV systems, boost security in emergency departments and improve access controls between the public and staff areas, had been rolled out at hospitals across the state.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the measures aimed to keep patients and staff safe.
“Aggression towards hospital staff is a disturbing and increasing phenomenon worldwide and as a community, we need to do our best to try and address it,” Mr Hazzard said.
“This pilot will focus on trying to identify and intervene in incidents before they escalate, which can be difficult for staff, particularly if patients are in physical or emotional pain.
“Often the aggression is not deliberate – staff are dealing with patients whose thinking may be clouded by drugs, alcohol or dementia but it doesn’t make the situation any easier.”
NSW Health will review the results of the trial and any additional recommendations on hospital security in a report due in late December.