Footage of a hostile patient throwing a chair at terrified staff has been released by a Melbourne hospital to raise awareness of increasing violence and aggression in the emergency department.
The video from Royal Melbourne Hospital was released on Monday to highlight the daily harassment and abuse staff cop at work, including almost 7500 incidents last year.
The collection of CCTV footage and re-enactments, show patients hurling chairs at workers, throwing urine-filled bedpans on the floor and ripping computers from desks.
In one incident, a man attempts to smash through a glass door with a chair to reach workers.
"In healthcare we sometimes tend to think that occupational violence and aggression is 'just part of the job'," department manager Susan Harding said.
"We really wanted to change the thinking and help our staff to understand that violence and aggression in their workplace is unacceptable, and that's not what they come to work for every day."
