Liverpool Hospital will soon participate in the NSW Government’s body worn camera trial.
It comes as the NSW Government has announced that a 12-month trial of body worn cameras for NSW hospital security staff has now commenced at Royal North Shore in North Sydney, to improve safety for staff, patients and visitors.
It will see all security staff in participating hospital equipped with body-worn cameras.
They will be able to activate these cameras in response to incidents involving aggression and violence in the hospital, where there is risk of harm to staff, patients or others.
The trial will determine how effective the technology is at deterring and de-escalating violent incidents and will be independently evaluated once completed.
A date for the commencement of the body worn camera trial at Liverpool Hospital will be announced in due course.
Body worn cameras are one strategy intended to keep everyone safe in NSW public hospitals. NSW Health facilities also have a number of other key strategies in place to ensure the safest possible environment for staff, patients and visitors. These include:
- Ongoing risk assessments to identify and manage emerging security risks.
- Safety huddles to share information on patient related safety risk with incoming workers.
- Patient management plans that set out specific arrangements to keep both the patient and healthcare workers safe when providing care.
- Multi-disciplinary Code Black (duress) response teams. This includes the use of NSW Health security staff/Health and Security Assistants to assist clinical staff with the management of incidents.
- Workplaces designed to enhance line of sight for staff, including dual egress at staff stations and in treatments rooms.
- Lockdown arrangements including secure entry points between public and clinical areas and secure perimeters for facilities, particularly after hours.
- Personal mobile and fixed duress alarms for staff to ensure they can summon assistance when necessary.
- Closed circuit television (CCTV) and effective lighting to ensure visibility.
- Procedures to enhance car park security, including regular security patrols.
This trial is part of the ongoing implementation of recommendations from the Anderson Review of Hospital Security and follows implementation of other recommendations by the NSW Government to improve hospital security.
These include the establishment of the Safety and Security Improvement Unit within the Ministry of Health, the standardising of code black procedures, and enhanced support for patient experience officers.
Member for Liverpool, Charishma Kaliyanda said:
“The trialling of body-worn cameras is a key step in our goal to give staff, patients, and visitors every assurance that they are safe and secure at our hospitals.
“Liverpool is one of the largest hospitals in our state. I am very pleased that it will be one of the first to implement this key safety measure.
“The Government has been clear: aggression toward healthcare staff cannot be tolerated. I look forward to the results of this trial, which will inform how we can reduce violent incidents in our public hospitals.”
Member for Leppington, Nathan Hagarty said:
“This trial highlights the Government’s commitment to protecting our frontline hospital staff, who work tirelessly to care for the community.
“Body-worn cameras will provide another layer of safety and accountability.
“We need to ensure our hospitals are safe spaces for staff, patients, and visitors.”
Attached photo: Nathan Hagarty, Member for Leppington; Daniel Mookhey, NSW Treasurer; Charishma Kaliyanda, Member for Liverpool; Sonia Marshall, CEO of South Western Sydney Local Health District
CHARISHMA KALIYANDA MP
MEMBER FOR LIVERPOOL
NATHAN HAGARTY MP
MEMBER FOR LEPPINGTON
