Guy’s hospital protection plan rejected in 2011 Liz Bell liz@baysidenews.com.au
AT the first Hastings food van two weeks ago, volunteers Manpreet Singh, Divjot Kaur and Amandeep Singh provided around 40 meals. Picture: Supplied
Sikhs serve food for hard times HOMELESSNESS and increasing hardship on the Mornington Peninsula have prompted a south eastern food charity to expand services to the peninsula. Langwarrin-based Sikh Volunteers Australia has started a food run in Hastings, providing prepared meals every Sunday from the Fred Smith reserve car park between 1pm and 2pm. Jaswinder Singh said the charity had recognised the need for support on the peninsula and that it was part of the Sikh philosophy to help people in need.
He said the first Sunday in Hastings three weeks ago saw around 40 meals provided, but that had almost doubled every weekend since. “We are proud to do what we can to relieve distress in all communities,” he said. Sikh Volunteers Australia vans have become a familiar sight in recent years and times of crisis, providing vegetarian meals to people in need across the country. Singh said the organisation cooked, packed and delivered around 140,000 meals a year across the state.
PROTECTIVE Services Officers could be trialled at Frankston Hospital to tackle escalating violence in the state’s health care system, under a plan outlined by state opposition leader Matthew Guy. Guy said that if elected, a Liberal National state government would pay for a two-year trial at five hospitals to support the recruitment, training and deployment of 75 new PSOs to provide around-the-clock support from mobile stations. The Premier Daniel Andrews said there was no evidence Guy’s PSO trial would solve the problem and a 2011 parliamentary inquiry also recommended against deploying PSOs to hospitals. Guy said PSOs would be able to respond to calls for back-up and provide immediate support to hospital staff or police to assist with mental health patients or those influenced by drugs and alcohol. The trial announced by Guy would be implemented at Frankston, Dandenong, Box Hill, Sunshine and Royal Melbourne hospitals. Hastings resident and former hospital worker Fran Henke told The Times that violence in hospitals – particularly emergency departments – was an ongoing problem. She said while working at
Frankston Hospital 20 years ago, an emergency department doctor had shown her a drawer full of weapons - knives, iron bars, even shards of glass - confiscated from patients. “Staff and patients do need protection, not just from the drug and alcohol affected, also from those experiencing fear, grief and sheer frustration,” she said. Guy said the proposal would free up police resources by allowing them to return to normal operational duties. “We also know that our dedicated healthcare staff often walk lengthy distances to and from their cars at night and early hours of the morning, and sadly, so many have experienced verbal and physical abuse during these times and while carrying out their lifesaving work in wards,” he said. Guy said the safety of both staff
and patients at hospitals was vitally important. Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier, said that as a former nurse and midwife, she had experienced and seen what can happen “and it is not okay”. A parliamentary 2011 parliamentary inquiry into violence and security arrangement at Victorian Hospitals found that appointing PSOs to hospitals would be “contrary to the good management of security in hospitals” and could be a greater safety risk. The committee investigating the issue noted that violence and aggression toward hospital staff was largely under reported and made a number of recommendations aimed at encouraging reporting and improving data collection. The committee recommended against using PSOs in hospitals, and in its executive summary noted that security strategies should be underpinned by a “patient focused” approach that draws on interpersonal skills to defuse, minimise and manage aggressive behaviour. Assistant secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Paul Gilbert, has told the media that the trial would only provide about 3.5 PSOs for each shift across five hospitals, and would not work as a health response.
WHAT’S NEW...
WE’RE GOING VIRTUAL!
ASC goes virtual this year THE Arthurs Seat Challenge (Challenge) is an annual fun run/walk, held to raise the profile and funds for the Fit to Drive program, to enable the delivery of this invaluable road safety program to Mornington Peninsula and Frankston region secondary schools at no cost. Fit to Drive focuses on personal safety, responsibility, and strategies to make young people safer on the road, changing attitudes and behaviours of young drivers and passengers. Since 2001, the Fit to Drive program has developed and emerged to become a coordinated, local community road safety strategy, using best practice principles to deliver road safety messages. The success of the Challenge is reliant on the generous support provided by sponsors, local businesses, community groups, schools, and members of the community. BlueScope Westernport and Mornington Peninsula News Group continue to be valued Major Partners of the Challenge in 2022. Long term Major Partner BlueScope Western Port have supported the Challenge since its
inception in 2002 and Administration Coordinator, Aaron Pavlovsky stated that ‘The program strongly aligns with BlueScope Western Port’s core values, including ‘Our Local communities are our homes’, and we believe the Fit To Drive program, that the Arthur’s Seat Challenge supports, is integral to supporting our local communities, our employees, and their families. The number of young people that the program connects with across not only the Mornington Peninsula, but the whole of Victoria, is a credit to the event and the program it supports. In promoting the culture of ‘zero harm’, it is in line with what we live and breathe here every day at BlueScope Western Port’. This year the Challenge is being held virtually, as a result of rising costs making a live event unviable, however plans are underway to hopefully return to a live event in 2023. The Challenge can be completed anywhere, anyhow, anytime during the month of November and registrations are open at arthursseatchallenge2022.raisely.com.
IN 2022
ARTHURS SEAT CHALLENGE 1 to 30 November 2022 Register to complete the Challenge Anywhere, Anyhow, Anytime during NOVEMBER arthursseatchallenge2022.raisely.com MAJOR PARTNER:
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EVENT PARTNERS:
Frankston Times
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18 October 2022
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