"It was disturbing,to say the least,to hear during my hospital visits from experienced doctors and nurses about the increase in aggressive and violent behaviour that they are experiencing,and the apprehension this brings,"his report read.
Staff did not report the incidents in the Incident Information Management System (IIMS) “for a variety of reasons”,and policymakers should not rely on the IIMS data in their decision making,Mr Anderson said.
He also found staff did not routinely wear duress alarms,and questioned whether CCTV cameras were constantly monitored.
The report released on Tuesday made 48 recommendations,including changing the security culture and addressing the “clear lack of understanding"concerning security guards'powers and responsibilities.
It did not recommend increasing security staff numbers,prompting criticism from the head of the health services union,who had hoped the report would back its call for an extra 250 security guards across the state.
According to the review:“Security is everybody’s business and everybody’s responsibility."
“It is about eliminating risk where possible,” such as ensuring “swipe” doors were not propped open and objects that could be used as weapons were not left lying around,the report read.