The proposal comes as the Victorian government's election promise to have armed guards at hospital emergency departments was strongly opposed by medical groups at a parliamentary hearing today.
Alfred Health general counsel Bill O'Shea said the card system, which operates at Luton and Dunstable Hospital in the United Kingdom, could be introduced at The Alfred in Melbourne.
It would only be used for patients in non-life-threatening situations and not be applied in response to any behaviour stemming from a physical or mental illness.
If someone waiting for treatment became violent they would be warned, and if they continued to misbehave they could be red-carded and escorted out.
Start of sidebar. 
"The real issue we're looking at is the intoxicated patient - the Friday night patient, the Saturday night patient, who comes in and causes mayhem in the emergency department, not just to staff but to other patients," he told the hearing.
"So if they've got a cut head they can treat their cut head at home or they can go to a GP or they can go somewhere else, but they won't be treated in the emergency department if they're going to endanger the health and safety of staff or fellow patients."
Mr O'Shea said the state government should legislate to absolve medical staff from liability if someone injured themselves after being ejected from a hospital due to violent behaviour.
Police also should be more willing to charge people who are violent inside the hospital for behaviour that would be unacceptable on the street, he said.
But Alfred Health chief executive Andrew Way said he was absolutely opposed to the government's proposal to put protective services officers (PSOs) in hospitals.
He said hospital staff were concerned having armed guards would encourage people to enter hospitals ready to do battle.
"There is a greater fear about our staff being armed than not armed," Mr Way said.
Australian Medical Association Victoria vice president Dr Stephen Parnis said guns in hospitals would lead to more violence.
"We are absolutely 100 per cent against the prospect of armed guards in hospitals," he told the hearing.
Ambulance Victoria's Simon Thomson said paramedics thought the security situation at hospitals was adequate.
The government promised $21 million to fund 120 PSOs at hospital emergency departments before it won office last November.
Following heavy criticism, Police and Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan in April sent the policy to be reviewed by the Drugs and Crime Prevention committee, adding the funds would still be available to improve security at hospitals.
No comments:
Post a Comment