Report urges boost to remote nurse safety

The Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia (CRANAplus) has released the results of its investigation into remote nurse safety. The inquiry followed the death of South Australian outback nurse Gayle Woodford in 2016.

health worker Gayle Woodford.

There were calls for remote clinicians to work in pairs after the death of SA nurse Gayle Woodford. Source: AAP

The peak body representing remote health workers says staff should be accompanied on call-outs and at other times where risks have been identified, and should be better-educated about safety issues.

Clinic and accommodation alarms should also be upgraded and personal alarms considered to keep remote health workers safe.

CRANAplus chairman Paul Stephenson says the organisation's investigation provided a valuable description of the conditions faced by many remote health workers.

"Working remote differs from many other areas of healthcare, requiring enhanced self-reliance, skills, and professional capability," he said.

The investigation also identified the lack of Indigenous clinic staff as having a negative impact on the services available in remote communities and on the safety of nurses and other health workers.

"Remote area nurses and other health staff were at increased risk because they frequently did not know the personality or background of community residents or visitors," the report said.

"They were also at increased risk at times, as they were usually last to be aware of tensions in the community and the likelihood of violence."

The body of Ms Woodford, 56, was found in a shallow roadside grave near Fregon, in SA's north, three days after she was last seen on the state's Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

Around the time she went missing, an ambulance she used in her work at the Fregon clinic drove away from her home and was intercepted by police several hours later at Coober Pedy after being tracked using its GPS data.

Mimili man Dudley Davey remains in custody, charged with Ms Woodford's murder.

Her death sparked a major push to improve the safety of nurses working in remote communities with an online petition quickly securing more than 130,000 signatures.

The organisation's report will be followed by the development of a set of national safety and security guidelines for outback health workers and a suite of practical resources including on-line training.

Share
2 min read

Published



Share this with family and friends


Subscribe to the NITV Newsletter

Receive the latest Indigenous news, sport, entertainment and more in your email inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Interviews and feature reports from NITV.
A mob-made podcast about all things Blak life.
Get the latest with our nitv podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on NITV
The Point: Referendum Road Trip

The Point: Referendum Road Trip

Live weekly on Tuesday at 7.30pm
Join Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke to get unique Indigenous perspectives and cutting-edge analysis on the road to the referendum.
#ThePoint