Hospital to tackle violence

BASS Coast Health (BCH) will soon be adding a Behavioural Assessment Room to its Emergency Department following its successful submission for funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

The Minister for Health announced the funding to establish Behavioural Assessment Rooms in high-risk hospital emergency departments.

Part of a $40 million suite of actions underway by DHHS to support better prevention and management of occupational violence and aggression against healthcare workers, BCH is one of 16 Victorian hospitals to receive this funding.

BCH reported 34 occupational violence-related incidents occurred in its emergency department in the last financial year.

DHHS estimates that up to 95 percent of healthcare workers have experienced physical attacks or verbal attacks while simply doing their job caring for others and saving lives.

The funding of the Behavioural Assessment Rooms is part of the Victorian Government’s campaign against occupational violence to remind the community, health workers and paramedics that violence and aggression are not tolerated or accepted as ‘part of the job’.

Behavioural Assessment Rooms are purpose-designed rooms aimed to provide a safe place to assess and manage emergency department patients who exhibit aggression or violence, and place themselves or others at risk of harm.

The rooms have been shown to reduce the risk of injury to patients and staff and reduce distress to other patients and visitors within emergency departments.

BCH CEO Jan Child was thrilled with the news, saying, “The new Behavioural Assessment Room will provide a safer environment for BCH’s staff. This is another step towards BCH’s commitment to improving quality and safe”.

BCH will work closely with DHHS to ensure the room meets best practice requirements. Construction is expected to commence in the near future.

Safe haven: Bass Coast Health emergency department manager Cath Jones and receptionist Mary Taylor are excited after the Wonthaggi Hospital received funding to build a Behavioural Assessment Room in the department.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 12 2017. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry