Nurses and health professionals have called on the ACT government to launch an urgent review of safety and staffing across the territory, with documents revealing a monthly average of more than 100 workplace incidents.
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The call comes after 56 health professionals wrote to Health Minister Simon Corbell earlier this month to complain about physical violence and unsafe practices on one hospital ward alone.
The petition, which was also delivered to ACT Health director-general Nicole Feely, warned violence and aggression had become "a regular feature on the ward". The professionals said it was no longer safe for staff and patients.
"We call upon the ACT Health Directorate to proactively manage the risk to staff posed by aggressive patients and to immediately review the suitability of patients on [the ward]," the petition said.
The staff also called for a review of procedures related to the management of violence and questioned whether the government had allocated appropriate resources to manage the situation.
The complaint is understood to relate to one particular patient who has been on the ward for close to six weeks, although many staff have been concerned about the appropriateness of admissions for a period of months.
ACT Health Minister Simon Corbell said the patient's case was challenging, although the ward in question was the most suitable place while alternative arrangements were made. He said the matter had been resolved.
"I met with the nurses union two weeks ago and while staffing issues were discussed, a whole of directorate review of workplace safety was not raised," he said.
ACT Nursing and Midwifery Federation secretary Jenny Miragaya said safety breaches and violence had been reported at numerous locations across the territory, including at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
Her claim is supported by the latest ACT Health quarterly report on workplace accidents, which revealed 1321 incidents or injury or safety breaches at hospital and health facilities during 2015.
The document refers to instances of mental stress, fatigue, falls, vehicle incidents, biological factors and staff "being hit with moving objects".
On November 21, one staff member was walking a patient in a ward when the patient turned and punched the staff member in the face.
In December, an emergency department staff member working in critical care experienced an electric shock. A month earlier, another staff member was similarly shocked when they turned on a light switch.
The report also revealed more than 1000 days of work were lost due to health professionals taking time off work due to hazardous situations, injuries, or illnesses.
Ms Miragaya said she was routinely contacted by ACT Health staff who complained about being spat on, bitten, and physically attacked by patients, with many concerned about staffing levels.
"There should be no admissions if an area admitting a patient is not safe; not safe for the patient, not safe for the family, and not safe for the staff," she said.
"Now is the time for a comprehensive review and the immediate implementation of constructive recommendations."
The ANMF has called on the government to extend any review of workplace safety to all ACT Health facilities.
According to Ms Miragaya, only one staff member was left to monitor the Canberra Hospital's new short stay mental health facility earlier this year. The one male staff member was responsible for two female clients.
"You might think that is an acceptable situation but it is a risk when you have vulnerable or delusional clients," she said.
"It is also a difficult situation to manage, especially when there might be accusations of inappropriate behaviours."
Ms Miragaya said the safety risks also extended to the Alexander Maconochie Centre, which she claimed was often under-staffed by health professionals.
"We had issues at the jail where there are often two staff missing on a single shift, which is an issue on the evening shift when you have to check on drugs and work outside the scope without support."
Mr Corbell said healthcare was a challenging industry for nurses, doctors and other staff who often deal with people in difficult and stressful situations.
"The government is committing to supporting the nurses who provide such a valuable service to the people of the ACT," he said.
"The government takes the health and wellbeing of all of its staff very seriously and will continue to investigate individual concerns raised by the union and by staff members themselves."
Do you know more about this story? Email henry.belot@fairfaxmedia.com.au
