\n<\/p>\n
In 2023, the workgroup engaged more than 3,000 healthcare workers and more than 1,500 members of the public through surveys and focus group discussions.<\/p>\n
About two in three healthcare workers surveyed said they had witnessed or experienced abuse or harassment, with verbal abuse among the most prevalent forms.<\/p>\n
Many incidents went unreported because workers were unclear about reporting channels, feared repercussions or believed such treatment was simply “part of the job”, the report said.<\/p>\n
The workgroup launched a tripartite framework in 2023 that set a common definition of abuse and harassment and standardised how healthcare institutions should respond to incidents.<\/p>\n
All public healthcare institutions now have dedicated healthcare worker protection functions, including chief wellness officers. Institutions can take action against perpetrators, including issuing warnings, removing them from their premises or discharging abusive patients who do not require urgent medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than 6,000 healthcare workers have been trained in advanced de-escalation and self-defence techniques. Basic training is given to all frontline staff and forms part of onboarding for new healthcare workers.<\/p>\n
The 23-page report highlighted several cases of abuse and harassment. In one, a patient made offensive sexual remarks to a staff member, causing her distress. She was initially reluctant to report the incident out of embarrassment and concern that pursuing it would add to her stress.<\/p>\n
She was given wellness leave and regular well-being check-ins, and supported through the reporting process. The patient and his spouse were told the behaviour was unacceptable and would not be tolerated.<\/p>\n
In another, a nurse clinician at National University Hospital was cornered by a patient’s father after telling him mobility scooters were not allowed in the ward for safety reasons.<\/p>\n
The man blocked her exit with a cardiac table, displayed a needle and penknife, threatened her and spat at her twice, according to the report. The hospital issued him a warning, made a police report and supported the nurse in applying for a personal protection order.<\/p>\n
A 2025 survey by the workgroup found that more than nine in 10 healthcare workers at public institutions felt their organisations encouraged the reporting of abuse and harassment and supported a safe and respectful work environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among members of the public surveyed that year, 86 per cent said they would consider stepping in if they witnessed such behaviour against a healthcare worker. Nine in 10 said everyone had a part to play in preventing it.<\/p>\n
With the workgroup’s term concluded, an employer-led Community of Practice will sustain its momentum, the report said. It will give healthcare organisations a platform to share experiences, strengthen capabilities and exchange best practices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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TWO IN THREE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED ABUSE In 2023, the workgroup engaged more than 3,000 healthcare workers and more than 1,500 members of the public…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--FUmkjVJK--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_676,w_1200\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2022\/04\/27\/istock-1255356846_mod.jpg?itok=kVKHIYhm","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2072,1078,4171,5335,4323,1692,59],"class_list":["post-89073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-news-sg-global","tag-abuse","tag-cases","tag-double","tag-harassment","tag-healthcare","tag-worker","tag-years","wpcat-2-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=89073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/89074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=89073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=89073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=89073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}