In the midst of trying to save lives, staff at Royal Darwin Hospital were confronted with more violence after an alleged group brawl broke out in the emergency department.
The alleged incident was one of many reported at the Top End health facility on Thursday night and has caused NT Health to release a clear warning.
The reports follow after NT health union leaders spoke out last week about the “extreme” safety concerns in the Darwin emergency department (ED).
Escalating daily violence has caused many staff to fear that workers might be stabbed at work or are at risk of suicide as death and rape threats have become almost common place, said the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation NT (ANMF NT).
The Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) NT agreed and said danger has become “normalised” with patients and staff paying the cost of inaction.
After the alleged “multiple” incidents at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) on Thursday, NT Health chief executive, Chris Hosking, said staff and patients had been left significantly distressed.
“This latest incident highlights the ongoing violence and aggression our staff are regularly confronted with,” he said.
“Thankfully no one was hurt, but the potential for serious injury was there.”
Mr Hosking said security officers provided “immediate” assistance on Thursday before NT Police attended and arrested an individual.
But he said the incident highlighted the “concerning” increasing violence happening in NT hospitals.
“I want to send a very clear message to the community – this behaviour will not be tolerated, Mr Hosking said.
“If you behave badly in any of our hospitals, NT Police will be called, and you will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
“Violence and aggression is not a healthcare issue; this is a community issue.
“If you come into any of our hospitals to receive care – you need to hold up your end of the deal and behave appropriately.
“Our NT Health people front up at work every day to care for Territorians and have the right to feel safe and be treated with respect – they do not deserve to be treated this way.”
He said the department take incidents of violence very seriously and are working with staff and unions to address safety concerns.
Across the Northern Territory, NT Health said hospitals have a range of security resources which can be scaled up if required and staff work closely with NT Police and emergency responders to help prevent and respond to incidents.
When an incident occurs and is reported like on Thursday night, Mr Hosking said staff are supported and the timeline of events are reviewed and action is implemented.
However, he said these measures would not be required if the small group of people “responsible” for these issues changed their behaviour.
Mr Hosking urged people to respect their community, patients and health staff.
“I would like to call on the community, and our patients to be accountable for their behaviour and show kindness and respect to our people, who are doing the very best they can, often in very challenging circumstances,” he said.
“Our people at NT Health are terrific and we are fortunate to have such a great bunch of people in our organisation.
“We couldn’t deliver the fantastic health care that we do without the contribution everyone makes, every day.
“I would like to personally thank them for their ongoing commitment, adaptability and resilience.”
ANMF NT and ASMOF NT are calling for action from government to better protect staff and ensure safety at RDH including demanding an immediate WorkSafe NT investigation to be launched.