A plan forcing hospitals to report violent attacks on staff has won the support of Werribee Mercy Hospital.
The state opposition says that if it wins the November state election it will introduce a reporting system requiring health services to make violent incidents public.
Health spokesman Gavin Jennings said Labor would also undertake an audit of security staff in public hospitals because doctors, nurses, paramedics and mental health workers had risked their health and safety at work for too long.
The opposition’s plan follows a 2013 report from the state’s auditor-general, which found that Victoria’s 100,000 public hospital staff were being put at unnecessary risk.
“No one should ever have to face violence and aggression at their place of work, and those who do deserve a real reporting system that has real consequences,” Mr Jennings said.
“To fix our health system, we need to look after those who look after us.
“Occupational violence in our health system is a serious problem and it needs to be brought to light.”
Mercy Health’s executive director of health services, Dr Linda Mellors, said Werribee Mercy already reported all incidents of violence but welcomed any plan to make hospitals safer.
“We are continually looking for opportunities to reduce the number and severity of such incidents,” she said.
Dr Mellors said violent incidents usually involved people under the influence of drugs and alcohol or who suffered from a mental health condition. But in some cases, incidents were also caused by people distressed at seeing loved ones unwell.
Last month, the state government introduced tougher sentences for people who attack police, emergency services workers and hospital staff.
People who intentionally inflict serious injury on emergency workers could spend at least three years in jail, while recklessly inflicting serious injury could mean two years.
If gross violence is involved, attackers will face at least five years, while the murder of a police officer of emergency worker will carry a sentence of at least 30 years.
