IN conjunction with Monash University, Northern Health has launched a landmark partnership which will see both parties seek to address occupational violence and aggression in healthcare.
The partnership is the first of its kind in Australia, and will deliver an independent, systems-based review.
The review comes after a number of instances of occupational violence and aggression which has seen Northern Health under pressure, which matches a significant trend across the country in healthcare, particularly in a tough decade for the sector which has seen the rise of COVID.
Northern Health’s statistics says there have been 20 WorkCover claims related to workplace violence since 2023, which cost $2.75 million and has also resulted in 550 lost weeks across the worker capacity. The health service reported 4275 incidents in 2024/25 alone, which is the highest number across the state.
This adds to the pressure that workers are constantly under, with the Northern Hospital in Epping one of the busiest in the state, with upwards of 300 people cared for every day.
Northern Health also said that violence levels are complex, and can’t be reduced to individual incidents or simple explanations, rather that it reflects the broader system, social and community factors.
The results, when released, will help design a three-year, evidence-based strategy developed to strengthen preventative measures, while also improving workforce safety and improving patient experience.
Northern Health Chief Executive Adj. Prof Debra Bourne said this reflects Northern Health’s commitment to improve staff safety by working collaboratively with the community to hear their thoughts on what could be improved.
“No one comes to work to be assaulted and everyone deserves to feel safe when accessing care,” she said.
“This partnership is about recognising the complexity of occupational violence and taking evidence based action, together with our community, to prevent it.
“Safer staff means safer care, for everyone who comes through our doors. That’s something we all have a role in achieving.”
Project Lead and Senior Research Fellow at Monash University Accident Research Centre, Dr Amanda Stephens, said it was a big step forward for healthcare.
“Workplace violence in healthcare is not isolated to individual incidents. It is shaped by multiple interacting factors across the system, including how services, communities and expectations intersect,” she said.
“This work will support a shift from reactive responses to proactive, system-wide prevention informed by both evidence and community experience.”
The review will be comprehensive, looking at frontline incidents, organisational processes and societal and community influences.
Staff engagement, systems mapping and analysis of current policies will also be big factors in the study, as well as community input and lived experience.
Minister for Health Harriet Shing said it was an important moment for healthcare.
“Our healthcare workers do incredible work caring for Victorians and they deserve to be safe and treated with respect,” she said.
“The human impact of these disturbing and violent incidents is significant and the increase in cases in unacceptable.
“We are looking at new ways of keeping healthcare workers safe – because we will always have their backs.”