Communist Web Thursday 18th May 2000 9.30pm gmt Hospital overcrowding of patients Staff have imposed industrial bans in two South Australian psychiatric clinics in response to overcrowding of patients and lack of nursing staff. "There has been a massive increase in the number of reported assaults and other potentially dangerous incidents that involve increased patient aggression towards nurses and other staff", said Gail Gago, SA Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF). The 38-bed Cramond Clinic at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has experienced a massive demand for admissions and was forced to cram in additional patients due to a statewide shortage of mental health services. Nurses have had to put patients in a room designed for seclusion or time out for patients whose behaviour gets out of control. Other patients requiring secure care (in the five-bed lock-up unit) were forced to be cared for in the open ward which creates an unsafe environment for themselves, other patients and nurses. The overcrowding and the inadequate staff numbers has also resulted in detained patients absconding from the unit. "Attempts by nurses to resolve this situation through discussion have failed", said Ms Gago. "As a result they have been forced to take action to ensure their own safety and that of their patients. The action takes the form of bans on patient admission to Cramond Clinic to ensure that bed limits are not exceeded", said Ms Gago. Later in the week industrial bans were implemented in another major workplace... http://www.billkath.demon.co.uk/cw/hospitalover/hospitalover.html
