Nurses’ union fears further attacks after Shoalhaven staff allegedly stabbed

Shoalhaven Hospital nurses are on “tenterhooks” after one of their colleagues was allegedly stabbed, with the nurses’ union warning of further violence sparked by staffing shortfalls.

Nursing staff at the Shoalhaven Hospital have been left feeling vulnerable and on “tenterhooks” in the wake of an alleged attack on staff, according to the nurses’ union as it warns of further violence.

On May 3, a senior nurse was allegedly stabbed by a female patient who has not been identified, and had allegedly spent the night in a crowded emergency department awaiting transfer for further care.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Shoalhaven Hospital Branch Secretary, Michael Clarke, warned the hospital’s ED had become a “pressure cooker” environment, leaving staff at constant risk.

“Ongoing roster shortages mean staff are receiving text messages regularly to try and fill vacant shifts to the point where the department is relying heavily on nurses staying back for overtime,” Mr Clarke said.

“The reliance on overtime is exacerbating staff fatigue and burnout, which has unfortunately led to nurses resigning because their increased workloads mean they can’t give the level of care patients need.”

NSWNMA Shoalhaven District Hospital branch president, Michael Clarke. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

Mr Clarke said the hospital’s union branch been raising concerns about safety at the site before it was offered assurances security in the ED would be beefed up on weekends to help kerb violence.

They say that has yet to occur.

NSWNMA acting general secretary Shaye Candish said the incident at Shoalhaven Hospital had left many staff feeling they lacked support on the job.

“Increased demand on the hospital is contributing to extended wait times in the emergency department, which can lead to increased violence and aggression towards staff by patients or their relatives,” Ms Candish said.

“We’ve had reports of patients having to wait up to 48 hours to be admitted to a bed on an inpatient ward at Shoalhaven. There are staffing issues throughout the entire hospital, with violence being experienced in multiple wards.”

Ms Candish said the union had serious concerns about the number of vacant nursing positions left unfilled, as well as the Local Health District’s efforts to try and retain staff.

“It’s resulting in increased workloads on an already fatigued nursing workforce,” she said.

Nurses protest outside the Shoalhaven District Hospital in Nowra during previous industrial action. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

“We are aware treatment spaces in parts of the emergency department are not funded around the clock, meaning not enough nursing staff are available to care for the volume of patients. It’s a constant worry.

“This is why it’s crucial shift-by-shift ratios in all emergency departments are supported by the NSW government and opposition.”

The NSWNMA did acknowledge that violence prevention and management training had occurred for most nursing staff however in hospital.

However, they claimed annual refresher training had not continued.

“There’s been a lot more nurses on temporary contracts, rather than permanent nursing staff,” Mr Clarke warned.

“There’s little availability to draw from our casual pool of nurses because they’re constantly the ones who are plugging gaps in the rosters.”

At a statewide walk-off in February, staff from the Shoalhaven Hospital’s midwife unit told The South Coast News staff were undervalued by the community and the state government.

Shoalhaven District Hospital midwives Carol Bailey, left, Jenny Craig, and Linda Smith. Picture: Nathan Schmidt.

“A midwife can actually have to look after 20 patients on her own: 10 mothers and 10 babies,” Shoalhaven midwife Jenny Craig said.

“How can we give adequate care?”

Meanwhile, Shoalhaven midwife Linda Smith added that for many staff, the current system had left them burnt out.

“We’re exhausted, we’re burnt out, and we’re losing staff, but there’s no strategy for replacing those staff,” she said. “The state government needs to listen.

“Everybody’s struggling.”

In a statement to The South Coast News, Shoalhaven Hospital general manager Mr Craig Hamer said there was never an excuse for violence in the hospital, and that there were a number of “key strategies” in place to make it the safest possible environment for staff, patients, and visitors.

“These strategies aim to reduce risk by providing a safe physical environment and preventing aggression incidents from occurring through effective communication, good clinical practice and individual skills development,” Mr Hanner said.

“All staff have access to training and education to ensure they have the skills to prevent and manage incidents. The range of safety measures in place include CCTV with 24hr surveillance across the site which is monitored by security staff, access controls between public and clinical areas, Code Black response to assist staff where an incident is developing, a security staff presence, personal duress alarms for staff, and mandatory aggression management training for staff.”

Mr Hanner said than an incident involving a staff member on Tuesday 3 May was reported to SafeWork NSW, who had not advised of any further action at this stage.

“However any security incident involving violence or threats to staff, patients or visitors are also subject to an internal investigation, which is ongoing at this time. Post incident investigations are undertaken to identify opportunities to prevent incidents reoccurring. Staff are also involved in de-briefing and have access to support in the workplace and the Employee Assistance Program,” Mr Hanner said.

“Security risk is continually being reviewed and where issues emerge, they are addressed. NSW Health has a security auditing program that measures compliance with security standards as part of a process of continuous improvement.

“Since 2016, across NSW Health, $19 million has been invested to improve security in emergency departments at public hospitals, upgrading CCTV systems and installing remote locking to public access doors, under the 12 Point Plan on Hospital Security. The 2021-22 budget for Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is almost $1.06 billion, an increase of nearly $32 million, or 3.1 per cent more, on the previous year’s budget.”