5 September 2019
After two years of discussions and requests for SA Health to rectify or replace the flawed duress system in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Mental Health Ward 2G, the ANMF (SA Branch) has today lodged a dispute at the SA Employment Tribunal against Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).
The legal action has been taken to hold CALHN accountable for rectifying the faults in the duress system and the ineffectiveness of its current contingency measures, which amount to contraventions of its safety obligations specified in the 2016 Nursing/Midwifery (SA Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement.
Specifically, the ANMF (SA Branch) is seeking for CALHN to:
- immediately undertake a comprehensive review of the duress system to ensure that it is fit for purpose;
- specify, as a matter of urgency, clear timeframes for the effective implementation of an appropriate duress system; and
- in the interim, as a contingency measure, allocate restraint guards to Ward 2G who will be permitted to physically intervene if a staff member’s safety is imperilled.
The ANMF (SA Branch) believes CALHN’s current approach to ensuring the safety of staff in Ward 2G falls well below the standard reasonably expected by staff and, in fact, heightens the risk of injury and illness that may be encountered.