Senior doctors are calling for 24-hour security staff across all emergency departments (EDs) as violence increases.
It comes as police callouts to hospitals and other clinics for harassment and threatening behaviour have nearly doubled in four years.
The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) said providing security would not only keep people safe but also free up medical staff to focus on delivering care.
It comes days after senior doctors went on strike over better pay and work conditions and are now calling for political parties to commit to several measures to ensure hospitals can tackle rising levels of aggression, staff burnout and long wait times.
The group cited data from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand showing there were 7125 assaults against public health employees at all hospital services recorded between April 2021 and April 2023.
The group said reported violent incidents against staff in healthcare settings had risen across all Te Whatu Ora settings, from 6806 in 2019/20 to 7422 in 2021/22.
The number of assaults against Te Whatu Ora staff also rose dramatically from 1179 in 2021 to 3459 in 2022. In the first three months of 2023, 1887 assaults occurred.
ACEM said there has been an increase in "challenging behaviours" at specialist or emergency services, with EDs having among the highest instances of violence in healthcare.
One assault was at the Gisborne Hospital emergency department last year where a hospital worker was viciously punched in the face. The attacker was arrested and charged with assault.
ACEM provided examples of emergency clinicians across the country experiencing violence in EDs in the last month.
One person said they were assaulted by a patient's relative who was affected by alcohol.
"They became verbally aggressive and then physically attacked me, grabbing me by the head and neck. I sustained only minor physical injuries, but the psychological injury of being attacked at work lingers. Work is meant to be a safe space," the doctor said.
A senior doctor said they were punched by an "angry relative" in the ED, while another doctor said a patient experiencing extreme mental health distress threw faeces at staff.
Another example was a doctor being pushed from behind onto a corridor bed by an "angry psych patient" trying to leave and was called a "c***" and had "f*** you" yelled at "me twice".
The group said the time and day of the week doesn't "significantly impact" the amount of violence, where it happens or the demographic of the attacker.
"A safety response presence is essential 24/7 in emergency departments to allow staff to focus on delivering vital care," the group said.
"Insufficient resources in the broader health system are causing delays in the ED. More staffed beds are urgently required across the system, particularly in acute mental health and aged care, and it is vital that we implement plans to retain and recruit an appropriate, skilled healthcare workforce."
Dr Kate Allan, an emergency specialist in Auckland who is the ACEM's New Zealand representative, said long wait times for care is "dangerous for everyone".
"Violence in emergency departments is increasing. All people must be safe to receive, deliver and support care in emergency departments, and violence or aggression cannot be accepted," Dr Allan said.
"24/7 security staff posted at every ED, integrated and appropriately trained to best support staff, patients, whānau and visitors, can free up medical staff to focus on delivering crucial care."
ACEM is calling for:
- The delivery and appropriate staffing of all mental health facilities pledged in the 2019 mental health budget package, ensuring more acute mental health care beds are available for patients across Aotearoa.
- The urgent delivery of 150 appropriately staffed high-level aged care residential beds.
- The implementation of identified solutions that provide and retain the emergency care workforce needed to deliver safe care and protect the wellbeing of staff.
- The implementation of a plan to collect accurate ethnicity data, audit health care outcomes for equity and address identified inequities in the ED.
- 24/7 security staff posted at every ED, integrated, and appropriately trained to best support staff, patients, whānau and visitors.
