• Charles Sturt University researchers are surveying the public about the trial of body-worn cameras (BWC) in 15 NSW public hospitals
• NSW Health has commissioned Charles Sturt to independently evaluate the Body Worn Cameras trial
• The BWC trial is in addition to extensive actions by NSW Health to make hospitals across the state safer for hospital workers and the public

A Charles Sturt University research team is inviting feedback from visitors and patients on their perceptions of body-worn cameras (BWC) worn by security staff in some NSW public hospitals.

Chief Investigator for the independent evaluation project, Dr Amanda Davies in the Charles Sturt School of Policing Studies, leads the Charles Sturt team of researchers.

Dr Davies has previously evaluated the NSW Police Force BWC trial and then the state-wide roll-out and was the lead investigator/researcher for the NSW Sheriff's Office BWC trial conducted in 2024.

Dr Davies said that, in addition to extensive actions by NSW Health to make hospitals across NSW safer for both hospital workers and the public, some specific hospitals are trialling body-worn cameras by security staff.

“The purpose of the trial is to evaluate whether body-worn cameras are effective in de-escalating incidents where there is an imminent risk to safety,” Dr Davies said.

“This does not replace existing de-escalation practices.

“One of the groups we would like to receive feedback from are the community members who visit the hospital either as a patient or a visitor.”

The NSW hospitals trialing the body-worn cameras are:

• Bankstown Hospital
• Gosford Hospital
• John Hunter Hospital
• Lismore Hospital
• Liverpool Hospital
• Nepean Hospital
• Orange Hospital
• Port Macquarie Base Hospital
• Royal North Shore Hospital
• Shoalhaven Hospital
• St Vincent's Hospital
• Tamworth Hospital
• Westmead Hospital
• Wollongong Hospital
• Wyong Hospital

Information posters and postcards publicising the BWC research and how to access the survey are on display in the 15 participating hospitals trialling the BWCs. The survey runs until Sunday 30 November.

See more detailed information about the NSW Health BWC research project.

The research team encourage members of the community who have visited a hospital trialling body worn cameras to participate in this important study.

Co-investigators in the research are Associate Professor Larissa Bamberry, Associate Professor Alain Neher, Dr Alfred Wong and Dr Lucia Wuersch, all from the Charles Sturt School of Business, and Dr Geberew Mekonnen in the Charles Sturt Centre for Law and Justice.