Mr. Damien McCallion:

I thank the Minister and the Senator. I reinforce that it is completely unacceptable in whatever area it happens. Emergency departments are one area but staff also face challenges in many others. We track and monitor this and look at the reported cases to see whether there are any trends in behaviours, services or locations where there is perhaps more pressure. We also provide training to staff to assist them in how to deal with those situations. Many of our staff have to deal with trying to de-escalate situations. As the Senator can imagine, it is complex but supports are put in place where possible. When things happen, we also try to support staff through that process.

The Senator mentioned security. We increased the security presence during the pandemic. We have retained those levels to try to ensure we can avoid those situations. It is impossible to say that we will ever get to a situation where an emergency department will not face those challenges. Unfortunately, this reflects wider society in some cases. However, our responsibility as the employer is clear. We must try to mitigate the risk for our staff, try to support and train them in how to deal with those kinds of situations, and not only in emergency departments - as I mentioned many of our other staff face challenges - and try to track incidents to see whether there are trends and whether there are things we can do or certain locations where a particular focus is needed. As part of the performance discussions I mentioned earlier between hospitals and our community, we look at those kinds of issues, such as staff welfare, whether there are particular issues in certain parts of the country and whether things could be done in certain sites and locations.