Nurse safety question raised at Gympie clinic Hader over duress alarm
Qld’s peak nursing body has demanded immediate action to address allegations a private Gympie clinic alarm for staff to activate if they feel threatened is only for show, despite the company rejecting the claim as baseless.
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A Queensland nurse’s rights body has called for immediate action over staff claims an alarm at a private Gympie hospital leads nowhere and is only for show.
The hospital has denied any issues with the device.
One staff member who approached the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland and spoke on condition of anonymity has claimed the lack of a working alarm at the Hader clinic, located at the city’s northern edge in an old forestry complex, put staff at risk.
“Patient violence can happen any time and you’re just expected to accept it,” they said.
“There’s no security presence.
“The duress alarm under the nurses’ station doesn’t go anywhere – it’s just there for accreditation.
“We’ve had multiple assaults over the years, and it’s become worse in the last six months.”
The Gympie Hader Clinic opened in 2021.
Its services include helping people going through drug rehabilitation.
In response, a Hader spokeswoman said the allegation was “not based on any factual findings or internal reports, and we reject the implication that our safety systems exist solely for accreditation purposes”.
“Hader Clinic takes the safety of all staff and patients extremely seriously and has compliant established safety protocols in place to ensure emergency systems, including duress alarms are operational and fit for purpose,” the spokeswoman said.
“Nonetheless, in light of the claim, we conducted an immediate review of the duress system at our facility to verify its full functionality and ensure staff confidence in its use, with zero deficiencies identified.
“We also provide regular training and incident response protocols to ensure all staff are aware of how to utilise these systems and processes effectively.”
The staff member rejected this response, saying the alarm “lights up only, goes nowhere, and no-one responds”.
“If anyone was notified of the alarm … no-one has ever responded,” they said.
Nurses Professional Association of Queensland president Kara Thomas said Hader needed to take “immediate action” to fix the alarm if there were any issues.
“Working duress alarms are non-negotiable, a minimum standard of regular security, and accountability from both Queensland Health and private operators hiding behind outdated tick-box accreditation,” Ms Thomas said.
“Every nurse has the right to a safe workplace.
“We will not accept further delays.
“If a facility can’t guarantee staff safety, it shouldn’t be in operation.”
She said the problem in Gympie was “not isolated”.
“In Gladstone and Rockhampton, we’ve heard of repeated stories of mental health patients being sedated and waiting extended periods in overflow or short stay units due to bed block,” Ms Thomas said.
“In Ipswich, nurses have been violently assaulted metres from the ED doors while security stands down.
“Now in Gympie, we have a facility with (claims of) no functioning duress system and only two nurses managing complex and aggressive cases without support.
“This is a statewide failure of governance, not just a local incident.
“Every delay in acting puts lives at risk, patients and staff alike.”
The NPAQ is a body seeking to provide an alternative voice to the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union, its website says.
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Originally published as Nurse safety question raised at Gympie clinic Hader over duress alarm
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