A new team is being established to enhance the safety and wellbeing of front-line staff in Logan Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).
Recruitment is currenly underway for the new Occupational Violence Emergency Response Team (OVERT), which will work to proactively tackle aggression in the ED during a 12-month trial.
Assistant Director of Nursing ED Linda Perry said the team was established to address staff concerns and create a safer, more positive environment in the ED by reducing occupational violence incidents.
“Establishing OVERT is just one of many actions being taken by our Health Service to address occupational violence,” she said.
“With the help of this dedicated team, we are confident we will see significant improvements in reducing occupational violence in the ED over the next 12 months.”
The OVERT, made up of ED nursing staff, will undergo specialist training to safely handle incidents of workplace violence and ensure a consistent approach to all instances.
Linda said the team would use a model called Reduce, Respond, Report and Recover to address high-risk patients and incidents of aggressive behaviour within the ED.
“The model assists the team with spotting high-risk patients early, supporting staff concerns, reacting to incidents safely and improving the reporting of incidents,” she said.
The new team is just one of many measures being implemented across Metro South to address occupational violence following the announcement of a $37.88 million state government investment towards occupational violence prevention initiatives.
Current Logan Ambassadors Tony, Dee and Tusi represented the program during the announcement to highlight the benefits their roles brought to patients and the hospital.
Chief Operating Officer Paula Foley said Metro South Health had launched seven initiatives to further prioritise the safety of its healthcare heroes.
“These initiatives including expanding the Ambassador Program across multiple hospitals and establishing OVERT at Logan Hospital, will enhance our efforts to address occupational violence in the workplace,” Paula said.