HOSPITALS —
SECURITY STAFF
282. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I indicate that the Nationals WA
will rotate our questions to ensure that each member's attendance in
the house is recorded.
I refer to the minister's
commitment in August and October 2019 of more than $11 million to stop hospital
violence and aggression.
(1) How much of the $11.23 million
package has now been implemented?
(2) Which hospital sites are still
awaiting the deployment of committed security staff?
(3) Of those identified in (2), with respect to each site,
what is the current shortfall in deployed staff by full-time equivalent?
(4) Will the minister commit immediately to
fast-tracking the implementation of his commitment, particularly in
light of the increasing demand on our hospitals as a result of COVID-19?
Hon ALANNA
CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(4) The
Minister for Health is committed to reducing violence and improving the safety
of staff and visitors to the Western Australian public hospitals. The $11.23
million Stop the Violence package identified operational and capital
initiatives to be implemented in 2019–20.
Health
service providers have been making efforts to implement the Stop the Violence
package since the announcement. Work has continued to ensure that the
packages can be delivered within the 2019–20 financial year. The
Department of Health is not able to provide specific details on the progress of
individual initiatives in the time available to respond to the question due to
the current unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 and demands on the WA Health
system and its staff. The Department of Health advises that a number of
additional alcohol and other drug specialists, as well as security officers,
have already been hired and have commenced work with the emergency departments
of Western Australian hospitals as part of this package, and multiple capital
improvement packages are already underway, which have increased the safety and
security of WA Health staff.