Assaults on Top End Health Service medical staff almost double in the past year: Report

ASSAULTS on Top End Health Service medical staff have almost doubled in a year, and the NT Australian Medical Association says it’s not good enough.

Assaults on Top End Health Service medical staff have almost doubled in a year.

ASSAULTS on Top End Health Service medical staff have almost doubled in a year, and the NT Australian Medical Association (NT AMA) says it’s not good enough.

In the year to November 29, 2020 there were 138 assaults reported by staff compared to 76 the year before.

NT AMA president Robert Parker said it was never acceptable to assault a medical worker, least of all one who was trying to help you.

“They all end up being charged and there’s no excuse for assaulting a medical staff member ever, and hopefully they will face the consequences through the justice system,” Dr Parker said.

He believed a lot of assaults stemmed from alcohol and substance abuse.

Dr Parker flagged people presenting to hospital in psychosis as a result of substance abuse as a concern.

He also said the synthetic drug Kronic, or synthetic cannabis, had also led to people presenting to hospital in psychosis.

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“It’s a corralling of factors, agitation requiring hospitalisation and assaults are a result of that,” he said.

“A lot of those mental health presentations are related to substance abuse.”

It comes as the Central Australian Health Service recorded a steady decline in the number of assaults over the past three years from 34 in the year to November 29, 2018 to 11 in the year to November 29, 2020.

Dr Parker believed the drop in the Red Centre was a result of strict alcohol policy measures stopping the supply to problem drinkers.

He said a similar approach in the Top End to alcohol policy would also see a change in the number of medical staff assaulted.

“All this supports what the government has been doing with alcohol related reforms,” he said.

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An NT Health Department spokeswoman said there was a zero tolerance to assaults on medical workers.

“NT Health continues its commitment to a zero tolerance approach to aggression (verbal and physical) against employees through targeted programs including mandatory orientation and ongoing training and development in managing violence and aggression within the workplace,” she said.