Nurses and Midwives Face High Levels of Workplace Violence

It is from ABC Southern Qld.

The topic is about nurses.

The article was published on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 5:33 am.

About 80% of nurses and midwives said they experienced violence at work in the past year.

In short, many nurses and midwives face violence at work.

About 80% of those surveyed said they experienced some form of violence in the past year.

The union secretary, Sarah Beaman, says that attacks on nurses are not reported as much as they should be.

What happens next is important.

The government has invested $8.7 million to improve security in hospitals.

A nurse named Annalise was punched, kicked, and spat on by a patient.

When she reported it, her manager told her to keep working.

Annalise said it was a very scary experience.

The patient who bit her had bad teeth and hygiene.

Nurses often just keep working after something like this happens.

Annalise's experience is not unique.

The union says the level of violence against nurses is very high.

The union did a survey and found that about 80% of nurses experienced violence.

About 2,000 nurses said they were physically attacked.

The survey results are similar to those from 2023.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also found that healthcare workers experience a lot of violence.

The union is speaking out against 'gendered violence'.

The union secretary says violence against nurses is at a crisis level.

Ten years ago, the data showed that workplace violence was a problem.

The union secretary says that violence against nurses is not taken as seriously as it should be.

There is a high level of acceptance of assaults on healthcare staff.

The union says the health and safety system focuses too much on injuries in male-dominated jobs.

If other industries had this many injuries, it would not be tolerated.

Verbal abuse is the most common type of violence experienced by nurses.

Almost all physical attacks on nurses are by patients.

The union secretary says patient attacks are common in aged care facilities.

Annalise was working in an aged care facility when she was bitten.

Many staff members do not report violence because it is seen as part of the job.

The union secretary says there is a high level of acceptance of assault in hospitals.

Nurses often put their patients' care before their own safety.

The union secretary says this is an example of 'gendered violence'.

Most injuries are not recorded.

There are no rules that require hospitals to report all incidents of violence.

Only serious incidents must be reported to the authorities.

There has been an increase in workplace violence incidents.

The union says most assaults against nurses go unreported.

The most common injuries do not require hospitalization, so they are not reported.

This means that employers and nurses do not have to report all incidents, including rape.

The union is calling for ambassadors for safety.

The union wants the government to improve reporting requirements and security.

The Healthcare Ambassador program was introduced to help with high-stress incidents.

A spokesperson for the Minister for Health said the government is not ignoring the issue.

The government has invested $8.7 million in new security measures.

There are now 104 healthcare ambassadors in Queensland.

Annalise's last name is not given for privacy reasons.

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