Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Workers’ safety for all government workers is of primary importance and hospital workers are really no different from carpenters, electricians and others, although the hazards may be different.
In a perfect world, non-violent intervention would be adequate and de-escalation would always work. But in the real world this sometimes is not enough and this is exactly what we are seeing at Stanton Hospital, both currently in the emergency department and the psychiatric unit. I have been at the hospital and hearing code whites frequently.
When violence occurs, it is necessary to have trained people in place to protect staff from injury due to assault for whatever reason it occurs, be it drug induced or the result of mental health issues. I am all for making sure this is well-qualified help. We want to avoid physical restraint, if it is possible to do, to avoid a situation through non-violent negotiations.
Medical staff should not be required to use physical force to control violent patients. Properly and thoroughly trained security personnel proficient, again, in non-violent crisis intervention and in safe, physical restraint measures are the proper resource.
Properly trained people charged with the restraint of people out of control will also reduce the risk of injury to the people who need to be restrained as well as the targets of their assault, as the unfortunate Allisdair Leishman episode so clearly showed. The Leishman report, of course, recommended hiring and training a special constable to handle such incidents, yet was never followed up on.
Experience has taught us that it is difficult for the RCMP to respond quickly enough when one of these fast-evolving, violent episodes unfolds and essentially things depend on luck. They depend on the close proximity of an RCMP unit or that they happen to be not tied up with other incidents at that moment in time, which is clearly inadequate and an irresponsible basis for providing security for our workers.
The union representing health care workers has expressed concern about lack of protection for front-line health workers, and I would like, at a minimum, to ensure that a member of the executive from the UNW should be appointed to the safety and security working group being proposed.
Health care workers are reporting high levels of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder due to violence they have experienced on the job, and they are choosing to remove themselves from certain jobs due to the lack of action by this government over time. They appreciate the things that are being done, but all of the things that are
being done, they tell me, are not sufficient without dealing with the restraint issue.
Contracted security workers are not adequately trained to protect workers and property. Cost should not be a factor when it comes to job safety. Retention of well-trained and experienced security personnel becomes paramount and would be imminently doable if a routine provision was put in place.
It’s hard enough to retain qualified health care workers in the NWT, as we know, without losing them because of job stress due to violence in the workplace, but this is a real threat and I believe we have already lost people because of this.
Recently, a violent patient-initiated incident and left three health care workers injured and thousands of dollars of property damage. An unacceptable level of confusion remains over legislation and policy provision to support physical interventions when necessary. I know the Minister has tried to clarify this, but this certainly needs immediate resolution.
Threats to Stanton Territorial staff are real, immediate and quantified. They are real. The time for study is over. Staff are being physically and mentally harmed and there are serious vulnerabilities with potential for much greater harm. Action is clearly needed now.
I recognize the need for territorial assessment at all of our health facilities and at the long-term and extended care facilities throughout the NWT. I have worked with my colleagues on this. This is something that is needed and can be done on a non-emergency basis, but needs to get started right now so we are not finding the situation at Stanton is developing throughout the NWT.
As we know, Mr. Speaker, the Stanton Territorial Hospital is the one facility where every resident of the Northwest Territories will find themselves at one point or another. It’s the busiest by far of our territorial facilities and that’s where the issues are repeatedly arising without resolution.
This motion is intended to address that, and I very much appreciate the support of my colleagues in bringing this forward and the support of the Member for Sahtu in seconding the motion. Again, I look forward to comments and debate. Mahsi.