May 21, 2020

Nurse ‘Spat On’ While Walking To Work

A 42-year-old woman has been arrested for spitting on a nurse who was walking to work through Adelaide’s CBD.

According to police, the alleged attacker spat a drink over the nurse who was wearing blue scrubs at the time of the incident at 7.30 am on Tuesday morning

The attacker who has been identified as being homeless was charged with assaulting a prescribed emergency worker and did not apply for bail.

This incident is the latest in a disturbing trend of assaults and aggressive behavior aimed at emergency workers since COVID-19’s arrival on Australian shores.

At the beginning of April this year, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard lambasted the behavior of a small portion of the public after it was revealed that some healthcare workers were being advised not to wear their scrubs or uniforms in public.

This advice came after some nurses at Westmead Hospital in NSW reported being refused service in supermarkets and abused by the public when walking into a petrol station.

Last October, the South Australian Government created new legislation that made the assaulting of an emergency worker a specific offence which carries a maximum penalty of five years jail for basic offences and 15 years jail for causing intentional harm.

 

Photo Credit – iStock – George-Morris

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Should There Be A National Registry For Carers in the Aged Care Industry?

Let’s make one thing very clear right from the start, carers are the most undervalued, overworked, and important cog in the aged care industry. Socially, nurses have long been the recipients of praise and admiration for the hard work and personal touch involved with their jobs, but unfortunately, those who do the bulk of the... Read More

Mistreatment results in malnutrition: the faceless abuser in aged care

Appearing before the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, DAA CEO Robert Hunt and Sharon Lawrence APD called for nutrition to be elevated within all aspects of aged care to help reduce the devastating impact of malnutrition, which is currently prevalent in approximately 58% of older Australians. Speaking in Cairns, DAA provided evidence... Read More

Is this any way to reward our aged care workers?

  This is a question that goes to the heart of many of the issues in the aged care sector at present. A panel of union members at the Criterion Building A Quality Aged Care Workforce conference held in Sydney last week tackled the topic of how we can better support the aged care workforce... Read More
Advertisement