Issue No 101 | 06 July 2001 | |
NewsKempsey Killing Highlights Health Fears
Health workers have again raised concerns about hospital security after two nurses were injured in a fatal attack on the patient this week. As the Carr Government establishes a task force to look at the security issues, unions in the field are saying more than a glossy advertising campaign may be needed to protect health workers. Both the NSW Nurses Association and the Health and research Employees Association will participate in the security task force. NSW nurses Association general secretary Sandra Moiat says all options - including improved funding - need to be considered by the Task Force. "It could not be said with any certainty that even if there were full-time security staff on duty at Kempsey District Hospital at this time, this tragedy would not have occurred," Moiat says. "However, this incident does highlight the need for a much more serious focus on the broader issue of security in hospitals and violence towards nurses and health staff." And HREA State Secretary Michael Williamson says urgent action to upgrade security in hospitals for the safety of staff, patients and the community." "As tragic as it is, this incident in Kempsey is not an isolated incident. Violent attacks against hospital staff and patients are occurring with increasing frequency and our members will not tolerate it any longer - something must be done," Williamson says "Country Hospitals and the Accident and Emergency Departments of metropolitan Hospitals have become the hot spots for violence in the health system and they must be targeted with immediate funding for on-site security. "We need to see the Health Department make a real commitment to the safety and security of their staff, the patients and the general public. "We want to see a trained and sufficiently staffed security department in every public hospital to protect the interests of all staff, patients and visitors."
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Interview: A Little Knowledge Labor's science spokesman Martyn Evans was the Opposition's key player on the Knowledge Nation inquiry. He fills us in on the process. Education: Theory and Practise Whether or not you agree with the priorities for of Barry Jones� Knowledge Nation Taskforce, Julie Wells argues its boldness has to be admired. E-Change: 1.1 Email Nation In the first of a series of articles on politics and the new economy, Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel argue network technologies are reshaping the fundamentals of society. Economics: Banking on the Goodwill Given their history, Evan Jones wonders whether banks can really claim to be "just like any other business" International: A Deathly Struggle In this dispatch from PNG, a trade union leader briefs us on the situation following the shooting of seven students at an anti-privatisation rally. History: Enlarging Human Personality Mark Hearn argues that Lloyd Ross's post-War approach to Workplace Democracy seems contemporary by today's standards Satire: Shit is a Four Letter Word Australian TV drama is lame and gutless just look at the ABC's Love is a Four Letter Word, says Tony Moore Review: Tribute to an Artist Dalgarno painted the seagulls circling the seafarer like flies buzzing around the face of a bushman. Thus did the artist depict the maritime worker.
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