Healthcare workers physically, verbally abused by aggressive patients

Healthcare workers are increasingly abandoning their workplaces as abusive Victorian patients blow up at them, physically and verbally.

Ten Victorian healthcare workers a month are being injured in severe violent incidents as general practitioners warn local clinics are facing unprecedented levels of aggression.

In just the first five months of 2020, 50 workers in the state’s hospitals, ambulances and medical clinics have been forced off work after being injured in physical assaults, violence to threats, spitting and demeaning language.

As well as the extreme reported incidents, health workers say they are being confronted by increasing levels of “low aggression” fuelled by the public’s pandemic fatigue and lengthy wait times.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said abuse was daily and relentless, with workers kicked, bitten, hit, punched and spat on.

“We’ve had members who have been dragged across the floor by the hair,” she said.

“Some of our members never return to work.”

General practitioners say verbal abuse levels in recent months were the worst local clinics have ever seen.

Altona North Medical Group Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said 25 to 30 workers – particularly receptionists – had left in the past six months, forcing him to reduce opening hours.

“What kind of world is this?” he said.

Doctor Mukesh Haikerwal said someone threatened to blow up his clinic. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“Someone threatened to blow up the practice.”

WorkCover data provided to the Herald Sun reveals hospitals staff are bearing the brunt of the most serious aggression, lodging 37 occupational violence claims so far this year, followed by eight cases lodged by paramedics and other health care services.

The severe incidents range from physical assaults and violence to threats, spitting and demeaning language that have all seen healthcare workers forced away from their vital work.

High rates of aggression also plagued the state’s healthcare workers during the height of Victoria’s Covid crisis, with 112 occupational violence claims accepted in 2020 and 126 in 2021 – despite hospitals operating on a limited basis for much of that period.

But Australian Medical Association Victorian president Dr Roderick McRae believes the current level of aggression is up to 10 times higher than officially reported, with staff so used to bearing the brunt of patient frustration they now only record the extreme physical assaults.

He said hospital staff were frequently confronted by patients waiting more than two hours just to get into emergency departments and up to 12-16 hours for treatment.

“It’s definitely ramping up,” Dr McRae said.

“It’s just an intense level of frustration. It escalates and reaches nuclear proportions very rapidly.

Dr Roderick McRae said aggression is worse than reported. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“If you’re in pain, and many will be, then it just adds to their anger and frustration and it goes volcanic at the nursing staff in the emergency department, administrative staff, or anybody who’s within range.”

Aged care workers have also faced high levels of aggression, with WorkCover accepting 20 occupational violence claims in the first five months of 2022 – following 45 and 46 similar claims from nursing home staff in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

A WorkSafe spokesman said violence and aggression should never be seen as “part of the job” for any healthcare worker.

Ms Fitzpatrick said the issue didn’t just exist in “high-stress” emergency departments, pointing to a union-funded RMIT survey of private aged care workers which found 93 per cent experienced physical violence.

“44 per cent had been threatened with a weapon,” she said.

“Violence and aggression are companions of the systemic understaffing that has been allowed in this sector.”

She said all employers should implement practical measures, such as improved security and post-incident support.

A Health Department spokeswoman said they run several initiatives to reduce conflict.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe at work and we have zero tolerance for violence, harassment and bullying,” she said.

Dr Sarah Lewis and her staff have experienced abuse at her Port Melbourne Medical practice. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

GPs forced to call police after abuse

General practitioners have revealed the record levels of patient abuse their staff face, as escalating wait time and increased demand heighten tensions.

Port Melbourne Medical clinical director Dr Sarah Lewis said patients have pushed, threatened and verbally abused staff, with the past three months the worst she had ever seen.

“We’ve had to call the police from time to time,” she said.

“We’ve had reception staff in tears … people telling them they’re stupid, useless, helpless, hopeless.

She said she understood patients were struggling but they were so concerned by people’s behaviour at their now-closed vaccination clinic they had to hire security.

“Every time you abuse a healthcare worker, you’re pushing them out of the industry and you’re making the problem worse,” she said.

“Hospitals are very overloaded … so GPs are carrying a higher load, a more complex load, then they normally would.”

Former Australian Medical Association president and Altona North Medical Group Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said the verbal abuse was so violent many couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

“They just couldn’t take the – after 25 years of working – additional abuse,” he said.

“I’m really thinking, do I switch off the phones and just do (bookings) via email.

“It’s very violent, verbal abuse. We are trying to help.”

He said one patient threatened to blow up their practice when told their parents were ineligible for Pfizer during the vaccine rollout.

“It’s just a throwaway line … but it traumatises you,” he said.