Roughly one assault per day on nurses, doctors and paramedics occurred in the local health service area last year; the State Government has now doubled the penalty for assaults to 14 years in jail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOctober 24, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\nPeople who assault nurses, doctors and paramedics will face up to 14 years in jail under tough new laws introduced by the State Government.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said thousands of health workers were punched, stabbed, bitten and spat on every year in Queensland while serving the public in their daily duties.<\/p>\n
Many of the violent attacks were fuelled by alcohol and drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssaults, whether they are physical or verbal, on our health workers will not be tolerated and the Queensland Government is appalled that even one nurse, doctor or paramedic is attacked. It is inexcusable and shameful behaviour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a startling reality that more than 24,500 health care employees reported being a victim of a violent incident at work in the past five financial years. More than 4400 health workers in the last financial year alone were victims of violence in their workplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think it is okay to assault our health workers, we\u2019ll give you up to 14 years to think again. It is simply not acceptable and that is why we have doubled the penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board Chair Mr Mike Horan said violence against staff members was not tolerated.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cHospital and health service staff work hard and provide quality care to our patients and consumers,\u201d Mr Horan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur staff strive to provide the best care possible and they should be able to do that without fearing assault.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolence in the workplace, either physical or verbal, is completely unacceptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff welfare is a key component of the Board\u2019s strategic plan so we are fully supportive of the
\nannouncement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Across the DDHHS – which includes all hospitals in the South Burnett – during the 2013-14 financial year there were 393 reported incidents of violence, or 9.15 per cent of the State total.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this serves as a deterrent and there is less violence inflicted upon health workers,\u201d Mr Horan said.<\/p>\n
State Government promotional video: <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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