Last week, the Simulation and Safety team at Northern Health conducted a Code Black simulation in the Emergency Department. This was in response to a recent increase of Occupational Violence and Aggression incidents across the organisation.

Northern Health recognises the safety concerns staff are facing with Occupational Violence and Aggression. The Simulation and Safety team utilised ‘translational simulation’ – a tool that can be used in a wide variety of healthcare situations for improvement and innovation.

“Simulation gives the staff who do the work a powerful voice through the debrief to make improvements that affect their everyday work. We can also learn from what they do well and embed these good practices”, said Dr Kirin Channa, Simulation and Safety team, Northern Health.

The simulation was planned and conducted in collaboration with Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Police. It involved a simulated patient playing the role of an aggressive and violent consumer. The Emergency Department staff responded to this event as per their protocols.

After the scenario was conducted, the Simulation and Safety team facilitated a debrief (a reflective learning conversation) with the participants and observers. The debrief provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the staff on the floor, gaining insight into how they navigate the pressures of their day-to-day tasks. It also allowed them to share their perspectives on potential improvements to the system and processes in place.

“There were many discussion points raised in the debrief, including notification of the Code Black to staff in the area, utilising a team approach and ensuring our Ambulance Victoria colleagues are also safe”, said Elise Sutton, Simulation and Safety team, Northern Health.

“The discussion during the debrief helped shape recommendations for system improvement, which will be documented in a report and shared with key stakeholders in the coming days.”

“This is promoting safety as a shared, guiding principle. Simulation gives us the capability where staff locally cross-coordinate and self-organise. We need to understand what staff elsewhere in the system are doing, and vice-versa. Simulation creates that,” said Clare McCarthy, Director, Quality, Safety & Patient Experience, Northern Health.

“The Code Black simulation was really well organised and the attendance from all parties (AV, VicPol, security, OVA) really showed our commitment to finding solutions on how we can keep our staff and patients as safe as possible in the unpredictable environment of the Emergency Department,” Dr Heng Cheok, Deputy Director Emergency Department, Northern Health.

Brad Turney, Acting Senior Sergeant, Northern Hospital Police Liaison said that Epping police were privileged to be involved in the Code Black exercise held in the Northern Hospital Emergency Department.

“Although it is not uncommon for police who are trained and equipped to effectively deal with violent situations, it is an invaluable learning experience for police to see and understand how these incidents can affect hospital staff and the measures that are put in place to safely manage these incidents prior to police arrival. As always, it’s a pleasure to work alongside the teams at Northern Health.”