Security officers at several Sydney hospitals are fighting plans that would force them to wear a suit, which they say is “inappropriate and restrictive”. Seventeen guards at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have unanimously voted against Sydney Local Health District’s (SLHD) plans to roll out new security uniforms, saying they need functional clothing to do their jobs, which often involve restraining violent patients and visitors. “The suits are inappropriate and restrictive and it’s not like an ice addict is going to wait for you, like you can say: ‘Hold on a minute, let me take off my suit jacket so I can restrain you,’ ” said Ron Pike, a Health Services Union organiser who has worked as an RPA security officer for seven years. SLHD’s chief executive Teresa Anderson said the new uniforms were part of a bigger strategy to create a safe and secure environment for patients. She said the current “police-style” uniforms had a “paramilitary flavour”, which may intimidate some patients, especially those who are sensitive to their surroundings. “You might be sick with sepsis, get delirium and your behaviour might escalate. We want to have an environment where the officers can de-escalate issues in a quiet and calm way,” she said. “The old uniform with large boots is very police like, and our security staff are not police, they don’t need to have that style in terms of the work they do.” She said they had trialled several designs over the past couple of years and settled on a “breathable, flexible, wool-blend” suit that exuded a “quiet authority”. The suits will soon be seen at SLHD’s five hospitals – RPA, Concord, Canterbury, Balmain and Sydney Dental hospitals.
