Acting CNC Leah Marshall (centre) feels the Safewards model is creating more positive care experiences for nursing staff and patients. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
Canberra’s patients should be experiencing a more supportive hospital environment as an internationally recognised model-of-care is rolled out across 12 wards.
The ACT’s Towards a Safer Culture – Safewards program aims to helps staff and patients communicate more effectively to reduce conflict and instances of occupational violence.
It includes encouraging staff and patients to get to know one another, adding photo boards with staff member’s faces and interests and for a Safewards-trained team to conduct a “senior safety round” with patients and their families in the mornings.
North Canberra Hospital acting clinical nurse consultant Leah Marshall signed the stroke unit up to be part of the program and felt the morning catch up was having the biggest impact.
“So myself and the team leader, usually we go and speak to every patient in the ward in the morning, introduce ourselves to the patients and the family members, we ask them if they have any questions or concerns about their care,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to address those concerns at the point of care, before they escalate or become bigger issues.”
The Safewards pilot was held in 2021 and found more than half of Safewards nurses thought the model of care impacted on conflict in their workplace.
Two out of three felt their colleagues viewed the program “favourably” and nearly half had heard positive feedback from patients or their families.
Ms Marshall felt this was reflective of her experience.
“We get great feedback from patients and their family members about feeling more supported, knowing that the senior nursing team is looking out for them, they feel like they’re heard,” she said.
“So [it] definitely reduces anxieties and makes people feel like they’re in a safer place.”
The program was initially piloted in four wards and the ACT Government had committed $4.67 million to expand it to 12 wards by June 2026.
Safewards has been introduced in 10 wards with the final two at the Canberra Hospital currently being rolled out.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the program also appeared to be having an impact on the incidents of occupational violence on the wards.
“We’re encouraging reporting, but we also know, post the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing this rise of incivility and occupational violence right across our community, not just in healthcare settings, and so it is an important conversation with the community,” she said.
“Part of our Towards a Safer Culture strategy is also about ensuring that we’re publicising the humanity of our nurses, midwives, and other hospital staff, and reminding patients and carers to be kind and respectful to our staff at all times.”
According to Canberra Health Services, there were 168 incidents of violence in the Canberra Hospital emergency department (where the Safewards program isn’t implemented) in 2024-25.
This compares to 95 occupational violence incidents reported in 2023-24 and 50 incidents reported in 2022-23.
A Canberra Health Services spokesperson said it took incidents of occupational violence across the organisation “very seriously”.
“Our team members provide care and support to patients and their family members at some of the most stressful times of their lives. We understand that at these times, emotions can become heightened,” they said.
“But when they become violent and aggressive it is completely unacceptable. The forms of violence from a patient or a patient’s family member range from verbal abuse and intimidation to physical assault or abuse.”
Once the program has been rolled out to the 12 wards, more will be identified to see if the program can go even further.
Ms Stephen-Smith said while this was a nurses and midwives-focused effort, doctors and allied health staff also appeared to be “clearly participating”.
“It is the nurses who generally are working with the patients all through the day and have most of the interactions, and so that’s where it starts,” she said.
“We certainly hear from nurses on Safewards wards that they are experiencing a change in the way that they’re interacting with patients and a broader cultural change right across the ward.”
