The Victorian Government has allocated $17 million in three rounds of funding for capital works to prevent violence in public health services.
Another $3 million in the Health Service Violence Prevention Fund will be allocated to Victorian public health services in a fourth round of funding which closed on 27 April 2018.
Funding has been allocated as follows:
Round one: 2015–16 $3 million for violence prevention projects to health facilities, with half going to acute and half to mental health services.
Round two: 2016–17 $7 million between acute and mental health services for violence prevention
Round three: 2017–18 $7 million to health services for safety improvements in acute and mental health wards.
Security measures such as installation of closed circuit TV, duress systems and access control measures, such as security swipe doors are some of the common violence prevention projects funded.
Redesigning spaces to enable staff to leave if they are at risk; improving lighting; installing safety glass; providing stab resistant vests to security staff and improving the amenity of patient spaces were other anti-violence measures funded.
More than 60 health services have received funding for safety initiatives.
In June 2017, following the fatal attack on surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegman at Box Hill Hospital, Health Minister Jill Hennessy announced an additional $20 million would be spent on anti-violence measures including new security guard positions and behavioural assessment rooms.
See the full list of projects funded in the first three funding rounds.
We encourage members to report back to ANMF via records@anmfvic.asn.au on whether projects funded in rounds one and two have been completed.
