State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, will today move a Notice of Motion in the NSW Parliament calling for the Government to boost security at NSW hospitals to protect staff, patients and families.
For years, Ms Hornery has been calling for more security guards, better training and the authority to detain violent patients at the John Hunter and Mater hospitals.
Over the last five years, assaults at the John Hunter have doubled and at the Mater Hospital, they are up by 25 percent. This is in part due to the prevalence of ice, drugs and alcohol in the community, as well as the failure to properly support patients grappling with mental illness.
Currently, hospital security officers report of regular understaffing and often no security is present at any given time in emergency wards or entire hospitals.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“We cannot afford to sit on our hands and just have another audit into hospital security.”
“In 2016, the Government announced it would undertake a security audit of John Hunter Hospital and the Calvary Mater as part of a state wide investigation into security risks at our hospitals, but as yet nothing has happened.”
“In 2012, a similar audit showed alarming security risks and called on the Government to take action, however nothing has changed.”
“I am deeply concerned for the patients and staff at our hospitals. Our local hospitals have limited numbers of qualified, fulltime security officers to deal with the increase in violent behaviour.”
“Security guards at hospitals need real training and authority to detain violent patients before they hurt themselves or anyone else.”
“We don’t need another report, we need immediate action. Hospitals are a place of healing and safety must be a priority. We need real, comprehensive change to make our hospitals safe and secure for everyone.”