Violence On The Rise At Windsor Regional

http://blackburnnews.com/windsor/windsor-news/2016/04/25/violence-on-the-rise-at-windsor-regional/

By Ricardo Veneza 
April 25, 2016 5:54am
 
Officials with Windsor Regional Hospital say the incidents of violence against staff is trending in the wrong direction.
President and CEO David Musyj says more and more staff are reporting incidents of being abused on the job.
“We’re starting to see family members verbally being very aggressive with staff members,” says Musyj. “That seems to be increasing a lot.”
Susan Sommerdyk with the Ontario Nurses’ Association at the hospital says staff suffer both verbal and physical abuse.
“Anything from being yelled at, threatened with lawsuits all the way to being physically punched or kicked or hit or spit at or scratched, it’s pretty well anything in between,” says Sommerdyk.
There were 144 workplace violence incidents recorded in 2015 which Sommerdyk says are grossly under reported by staff.
She says the first quarter of 2016 has seen 113 incidents reported, already more than double the 55 incidents reported in the first part of last year.
Sommerdyk says the long-standing issue has unfairly been seen as something that comes with part of the job of being a nurse.
“A lot of people you’ll actually still hear that coming from, but we’re here to say that it’s not. No one should have to be fearful when they go to work or worry about being harmed,” says Sommerdyk.
Musyj agrees.
“Being harassed or even assaulted by a patient or a family member, that’s not part of their job,” says Musyj. “There’s no reason to be verbally threatening to staff members. That’s not needed. That’s uncalled for.”
Sommerdyk says strides are being made in encouraging staff to report incidents and says Windsor Regional is working with ONA to deal with the problem.
“Things are changing, but it’s slow,” says Sommerdyk. “Not all places embrace that or want to tackle that issue.”
Windsor Regional has a protocol in place to identify to staff patients who have had abusive outbursts as one of its workplace safety measures. The hospital is also working with Toronto East General Hospital — seen as a leader in dealing with workplace violence — to improve strategies dealing with the issue.