Victorian hospitals told to boost security after rising violence against staff
Major emergency medicine groups are demanding 24/7 security officers in all Victorian hospital emergency departments.
Violence against emergency department staff is getting worse in Victoria. Doctors and nurses face punching, kicking, biting, spitting, verbal abuse and threats.
Two major medical groups, ACEM and CENA, jointly called for urgent action ahead of the November state election. ACEM and CENA want every Victorian hospital to have security officers in emergency departments 24/7.
They also want a statewide healthcare violence taskforce and action on hospital bed shortages. At Grampians Health in Ballarat, staff have 24/7 security but still deal with regular attacks.
One patient at the facility said she heard staff being yelled at on a Friday night.
- ACEM and CENA
- Medical groups demanding
- Victoria
- Location
- 24/7 in all EDs
- Security timeline demanded
- More than halved in past three years
- Grampians violence trend
Why it mattersStaff who work to save lives should not have to fear being attacked at work. The system is clearly failing to protect them even though some security measures already exist.
AustraliaVictorian emergency departments are struggling with rising violence. Without major changes, staff burnout and recruitment crises in emergency medicine will worsen across the state.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 d ago
