North West Regional Hospital staff call for investigation over doctor stabbing on Easter Sunday

Shaken hospital attendants have lashed the handling of the stabbing of a senior doctor in their emergency department, calling for an urgent investigation and in-house security staff. LATEST >

North West Regional Hospital. Picture: AAP/Simon Sturzaker

SHAKEN hospital attendants at the North West Regional Hospital have lashed WorkSafe Tasmania over its handling of the stabbing of a senior doctor in the emergency department on Easter Sunday, claiming it has failed “to instigate a formal, independent investigation”.

Further, the union representing hospital workers has again called for the reinstatement of in-house security staff.

“We want to know who’s looking into it and what’s being done,” NWRH attendant Matt Yaxley said.

Mr Yaxley was at the hospital in the aftermath of the incident.

“Obviously there are some pretty major safety issues at play here. But we haven’t heard anything. Where’s the regulator? Where’s the investigation? The government’s got to do something about it.”

Hospital attendants, known as medical orderlies in other regions, are the first responders to serious safety issues as part of the hospital code black team.

But the union said staff had been left in the dark about what steps were being taken to ensure the safety of workers, patients and the community in the wake of this incident.

The alleged stabbing is being investigated by Tasmania Police and a youth has been charged.

Tasmania’s Health and Community Services Union said WorkSafe, however, was yet to respond to the workplace safety issues which contributed to the alleged attack.

“An investigation must commence,” said HACSU Industrial Manager Robbie Moore. “Tasmanians should be able to trust that the work health and safety regulator would treat this … [incident] with the seriousness that it deserves and instigate the necessary investigation.”

“Yesterday we asked the Premier to intervene on this, and I would again urge him to do so.”
Worksafe Tasmania said information was being gathered to determine whether there may have been failures to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act.

“If this indicates there may be failures to comply, a full investigation will be undertaken,” the organisation said.

HACSU has called on the state government to abandon its failed outsourcing of hospital security and bring security staff back in-house where they would be a part of the health team.

“Today we renew these calls with absolute urgency and ask the Premier to bring hospital security back into the hands of the health service as part of a co-ordinated response to this incident,” Mr Moore said.