Crisis teams at risk: union

A DANDENONG near-miss has triggered mental health workers to demand access to security alerts.
Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) assistant state secretary Paul Healey said a Crisis Assessment Team (CAT) unknowingly turned up to a dangerous address in the suburb.
“They reviewed a potential client. The person needed to go to hospital,” he said.
“Transport is always done via ambulance.
“When the ambulance arrived, the police were with them.”
It was then the CAT members learnt that the patient was at a home listed as a ‘location of interest’ on the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) system.
Paramedics are alerted to the warning, triggered by a previous violent encounter with a resident at the address, and were offered police assistance.
“Mental health clinicians working in CAT in reality are a part of the overall emergency services response effort in Victoria, but they are being treated like second class citizens,” Mr Healey said.
“These clinicians are going in blind, without the knowledge and support they need for their own safety.
“People are needlessly being put at risk, and it is not good enough.
“This should be a simple process where the security alert information is shared with CATs.
“I can’t see why the safety of one worker should be more important than another.”
HACSU has written to Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett to seek an urgent meeting to address this situation.
The Journal contacted the State Government for comment but has not received a response.