Preventing Occupational Violence in Victorian Health Services

Presentations from the Best Practice Forum: Occupational violence prevention in Victorian health services – Friday 2 December 2011

This forum was held to celebrate the work of Victorian public health services in implementing the recommendations from the Victorian taskforce on violence in nursing. The forum provided an opportunity for health services and other key stakeholders to share their learnings and local approaches to creating a safer workplace. Presentations from the forum are available for viewing:

Preventing & managing occupational violence in Victoria.
Taskforce & Implementation Reference Group Representation from a Rural Perspective
Including O.V.P. in the Design Process
A Collaborative Approach to Establishing a Behavioural Assessment Room
Building better partnerships
Promoting partnerships to optimise client handover
The Management of Clinical Aggression – Rapid Emergency Department Intervention
One size doesn’t fit all! Using a risk calculator to assess training needs in the prevention and remediation of occupational violence in the workplace
Building Better Partnerships - a focus on absconding patients
STV Emergency Response A strategy for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our people
Building Better Partnerships to Report Occupational Violencee - Western Health
 Deterring, detecting and managing weapons: Southern Health’s experience
  

Implementing the Taskforce recommendations:

In 2006, the final report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Violence in Nursing and the 29 recommendations were accepted by the Minister for Health and work on implementation was formalised.

The following framework for implementation of the 29 recommendations was adopted by DHS. 

Five interdependent strategies were identified:

• Strategy 1-Setting the framework

• Strategy 2-Raising awareness

• Strategy 3-Enhancing the Justice interface

• Strategy 4-Supporting Education and training

• Strategy5 - Effective Reporting and Monitoring

Note: The strategies are interdependent and recommendations and actions may be part of more than one strategy.

Refer to the most recent Status Report below for a summary update on activities undertaken or completed to date.

Reference Group

As requested by the Minister for Health, a Reference Group has been formed to to receive reports on the progress on implementation of taskforce recommendations and provide advice to government. The reference Group membership is WorkSafe Victoria, representatives of Directors of Nursing (metropolitan, rural and private sectors), ANF, HACSU, HSU and Human Resources Directors Group. The group has been asked to meet 2-3 times per year.

 Reference Group Terms of Reference (pdf, 56kb)

Status Reports on Implementation of Recommendations

 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 1 2007 (pdf, 162kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 2 2007 (pdf, 132kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report - Strategy 3 2007 (pdf, 78kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 3 2008 (pdf, 143kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 4 2008 (pdf, 123kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 5 2009 (pdf, 123kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 6 2009 (pdf, 123kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 7 2010 (pdf, 172kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 8 2010 (pdf, 165kb)
 Occupational Violence Project Status Report 9 2011 (pdf, 158kb)

Taskforce Background

The taskforce included a broad range of stakeholders including division 1, 2 and 3 registered nurses, the Australian Nursing Federation (Vic Branch), Health Services Union, Health and Community Services Union, Victoria Police, Victorian Deans of Nursing, the Vocational Education and Training sector, human resource directors in health services, Nurses Board of Victoria, Royal College of Nursing, Australia, Directors of Nursing, and WorkSafe Victoria.

Ms Maxine Morand MP, Member for Mount Waverley, chaired the taskforce.

Four subcommittees were convened by the Taskforce to examine key issues and recommend strategies to eliminate and/or manage occupational violence and bullying. The four subcommittees were:

• Violence and aggression
• Education
• Bullying
• Reporting Tools.

The Taskforce was also informed by:

• an extensive literature review
• a statewide survey of public health facilities in Victoria
• Victorian Centre for Nursing Practice Research paper titled, Occupational Violence in Nursing: An analysis of the phenomenon of code grey/black events in four Victorian hospitals.

Reports / Documents

Victorian Taskforce on Violence in Nursing (PDF File 980kb)
Occupational Violence in Nursing: An analysis of the phenomenon of code grey/black events in four Victorian Hospitals (PDF File 769KB)
 Responsible Parties for implementation of Taskforce recommendations (PDF File 35KB)

Enquiries

All enquiries to Nurse Policy Branch

Project Officer

MaryAnn Lindsay

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