Staff are being spat at, kicked and threatened with violence at a regional South Australian hospital and urgent action is needed, the state's nursing union says.
The Riverland General Hospital is one of the few remaining large regional hospitals in SA without 24/7 onsite security.
Hundreds of signatures have been added to a petition calling for round-the-clock, restraint-trained security staff to be stationed at the hospital.
Calls for more security measures to protect healthcare workers in regional areas have been ongoing since the death of outback nurse Gayle Woodford in 2016.
Ms Woodford, 56, was raped and beaten to death while working on-call alone in the remote APY Lands community of Fregon.
The inquest into her death found the lack of security made Ms Woodford vulnerable to and exposed to patient violence.
There has since been a continuous stream of reported violence toward on-call regional healthcare staff, including areas such as Port Lincoln and Mount Gambier.
Kicked, punched and spat at
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) SA branch chief officer Elizabeth Dabars visited the Riverland General Hospital and said staff shared firsthand reports of violent incidents in the workplace.
"We know the nursing staff and midwives here have been suffering for a long time now," she said.
"It's been devastating to hear their stories, [about] the violence and trauma they have been dealing with.
"People [being] kicked, punched, spat at and threatened — their lives have been threatened by patients … windows have been smashed and objects hurled."
Ms Dabars said it was completely unacceptable behaviour and needed urgent action from the local health network.
"The risk isn't only to physical health, but it takes an extreme toll on mental health as well," she said.
Ms Dabars said the nurses and midwives just wanted to be able to do their jobs.
"[They want to focus] on giving good care," she said.
"But at the moment, they're being forced to look over their shoulder, every minute of every day and it really it isn't fair to them, or the patients and visitors either."
The union is also calling for round-the-clock, restraint-trained security staff at hospitals at Wallaroo and Murray Bridge.
Committed to safe environment
A spokesperson for the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, which represents the Murray Bridge and Riverland hospitals, said it had zero tolerance for violence and aggression.
"While Riverland General Hospital does not have security guards based onsite, it does have contracted security guards that are restraint-trained and available to respond when required 24/7, however the use of restraint is an absolute last resort," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, state Health Minister Chris Picton said he was committed to ending violence and aggression in hospitals across South Australia, but he did not go as far as agreeing to appoint onsite security guards.
"The government is committed to working with the ANMF on the delivery of the 10-point plan focused on ending violence and aggression," Mr Picton said.
"Violence has no place in our hospitals and our hardworking healthcare staff deserve to feel safe at work, as do our patients in our hospitals."
