Bankstown-Lidcombe and Liverpool Hospitals trial body cameras

Bankstown-Lidcombe and Liverpool Hospitals have joined the NSW Government’s 12-month trial of body worn cameras, which aims to improve safety for staff, patients and visitors. The announcement brings the number of participating hospitals to five — across northern and south western Sydney and the Illawarra.

In participating hospitals, security staff are equipped with body worn cameras and can activate these cameras in response to incidents involving aggression and violence in the hospital, where there is risk of harm to staff, patients or others. The trial — which will be independently evaluated once completed — is intended to determine how effective the presence of the cameras is at deterring and de-escalating violent incidents.

“Any instances of aggression towards staff will not be tolerated, and appropriate action will always be taken against individuals who behave in such a manner,” NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said. “I look forward to the results of this trial which will provide insight into how we can reduce instances of violence and aggression in our public hospitals.”

The trial is part of ongoing implementation of recommendations from the Anderson Review of Hospital Security and follows implementation of other recommendations by the NSW Government to improve hospital security. These include the standardising of Code Black procedures, the establishment of the Safety and Security Improvement Unit within the NSW Ministry of Health and enhanced support for patient experience officers.

“Liverpool is one of the largest hospitals in our state. I am very pleased that it is one of the first to implement this key safety measure,” Member for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda said. “The government has been clear: aggression toward healthcare staff cannot be tolerated. I look forward to the results of this trial, which will inform how we can reduce violent incidents in our public hospitals.”

The trial commenced in December 2024 at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Image credit: iStock.com/artas. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.