Question on Notice 948/2025: Number of safety incidents

Topic

Number of safety incidents

Question

QUESTION Will the Minister advise the number of safety incidents reported by staff following altercations with a patient between 5 May 2025 and 27 July 2025 (reported separately by week and HHS)? ANSWER Hospitals are full of complex, vulnerable patients, and our hardworking frontline staff work tirelessly to balance a safe working environment and the delivery of exceptional care to our communities. Unfortunately, violence in the healthcare setting occurs. The below tables provide a breakdown of safety incidents reported separate by week and by Hospital and Health Service (HHS). I am advised the number of reported incidents does not necessarily correspond with the number of assaults on healthcare workers, but it does give us an understanding of what is occurring in our hospitals. For example, one HHS may appear to have significantly higher numbers than another HHS, but this may be due to entering a backlog of incidents that had occurred from an earlier time. Table 1: Safety incidents reported by Queensland Health staff following altercations with a patient between 5 May 2025 and 27 July 2025 (reported separately by HHS) Cairns and Hinterland - 705. Central Queensland - 224. Central West - 7. Children’s Health Queensland - 75, Darling Downs - 189. Department of Health - 4. Gold Coast - 281. Mackay - 102. Metro North - 669, Metro South - 1950. North West - 29. South West -- 13. Sunshine Coast -324. Torres and Cape - 10. Townsville - 286. West Moreton - 191. Wide Bay -223. Grand Total - 5282. Table 2: Safety incidents reported by Queensland Health staff following altercations with a patient between 5 May 2025 and 27 July 2025 (reported separately by week) Week 1, 383. Week 2, 382. Week 3, 381. Week 4, 369. Week 5, 391. Week 6, 434. Week 7, 385, Week 8, 669. Week 9, 395. Week 10, 562, Week 11. 476. Week 12, 455

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