NT Health has issued a warning to the community that violence and aggression in its hospitals will not be tolerated, following a number of incidents at Royal Darwin Hospital.
Last Thursday, a serious altercation at the hospital saw a group of people fighting inside the Emergency Department waiting room.
Security officers provided immediate assistance with NT Police attending and arresting an individual.
NT Health Chief Executive, Chris Hosking said while no-one was injured, the incident had caused significant distress to staff and patients.
“This latest incident highlights the on-going violence and aggression our staff are regularly confronted with,” he said.
“Thankfully no one was hurt, but the potential for serious injury was there.
“There has been an increase in violence at all of our hospitals across the NT and this is really concerning. I want to send a very clear message to the community – this behaviour will not be tolerated.
“If you behave badly in any of our hospitals, NT Police will be called, and you will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
“Violence and aggression is not a healthcare issue; this is a community issue. If you come into any of our hospitals to receive care – you need to hold up your end of the deal and behave appropriately.
“Our NT Health people front up at work every day to care for Territorians and have the right to feel safe and be treated with respect – they do not deserve to be treated this way.”
Mr Hosking said NT Health takes these matters very seriously and is continually working with and engaging with staff and unions to address safety concerns.
All six NT Health hospitals have a range of security resources in place and can scale these up as required, he said.
“We also work closely with NT Police and emergency responders to ensure an integrated approach to prevent and respond to incidents.”
“Following any incident a range of actions are implemented to support staff safety and wellbeing, incidents are reviewed and action undertaken to try to prevent future recurrence.
“Staff are encouraged and supported to report any concerns, so we can address them and implement further action to protect the health and safety of our people.”
Mr Hosking said, while NT Health was continually working to strengthen safety and security measures, these wouldn’t be necessary if the small minority of people responsible for these problems behaved appropriately.
“This is about community and patient respect for our health staff,” he said.
“I would like to call on the community, and our patients to be accountable for their behaviour and show kindness and respect to our people, who are doing the very best they can, often in very challenging circumstances.
“Our people at NT Health are terrific and we are fortunate to have such a great bunch of people in our organisation. We couldn’t deliver the fantastic health care that we do without the contribution everyone makes, every day.
“I would like to personally thank them for their ongoing commitment, adaptability and resilience.”
