The Hon Peter Anderson AM
Overview: Following publication in February 2019 of the Interim Report of my review into the safety of staff, patients and visitors in NSW public hospitals, I continued to review the security challenges facing hospitals in rural and regional areas, in accordance with Recommendation 4. I also investigated potential equipment options for hospital security staff and the security practices in hospitals in other States and Territories of Australia and New Zealand as foreshadowed by Recommendation 35.
This Final Report should be read in conjunction with the Interim Report (Appendix A).
At the end of this review, a total of 49 hospitals were visited from every Local Health District (LHD) and every type of facility, from major tertiary hospitals in metropolitan Sydney to four-bed multi purpose services in remote NSW, from Tweed Heads in the north to Moree in the north west, Broken Hill and Wilcannia in the far west, to Wagga Wagga in the south west and Bega in the south of the State.
During these visits, many hundreds of staff including security staff, nurses and doctors have been consulted. In response to an invitation from the Minister for Health and Medical Research, 17 Members of Parliament have also been consulted. Those members were from across the Government, Opposition, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, the Greens and an Independent.
The issues encountered cannot be resolved with a one size fits all solution. Rather an amalgam of actions is required, the adoption of which will have a significant impact on improving the safety and security of patients, staff and others.
