Code Black calls, the emergency response to a threat of violence, have risen every year in SA hospitals: 12,108 in 2023, 13,094 in 2024 (SA Government), 15,459 in 2025, and 9,213 in the first half of 2026 (ANMJ; Glam Adelaide). At that pace, 2026 will be the highest yet.
SA also publishes audited workers’ compensation figures for every local health network, tabled by the Auditor-General each October. That gives an SA business case a cost line most states can’t match.
What are the numbers in South Australia?
Code Black calls rose about 28% in two years, and 2026 is on track for another record.
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | January–June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12,108 | 13,094 | 15,459 | 9,213 |
Sources: 2023 and 2024 from the SA Government; 2025 and 2026 as reported by Glam Adelaide and the ANMJ, from SA Health’s Safety Learning System.
| Network | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Change | Liability, 30 June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barossa Hills Fleurieu LHN | $2.8m | $2.5m | −11% | $8.2m |
| Central Adelaide LHN | $11.9m | $16.5m | +39% | $63.7m |
| Eyre and Far North LHN | $0.7m | $0.5m | −29% | $2.6m |
| Flinders and Upper North LHN | $0.1m | $0.7m | – | $1.3m |
| Limestone Coast LHN | $1.0m | $1.2m | +20% | $4.3m |
| Northern Adelaide LHN | $4.2m | $4.0m | −5% | $16.7m |
| Riverland Mallee Coorong LHN | $1.7m | $2.2m | +29% | $7.4m |
| SA Ambulance Service | $18.7m | $8.2m | −56% | $51.5m |
| Southern Adelaide LHN | $20.4m | $5.5m | −73% | $52.1m |
| Women's and Children's Health Network | −$1.1m | $2.5m | – | $14.3m |
| Yorke and Northern LHN | $2.9m | $1.4m | −52% | $5.7m |
| SA Health (consolidated) | $70.8m | $52.9m | −25% | – |
Source: Auditor-General for South Australia, 2025-26 financial statements for each network. Listed alphabetically. The expense includes changes in the estimated cost of future claims, so it swings from year to year; the liability is the steadier measure. Some 2025-26 figures are derived. Every row is on the open data page.
Who is claiming: across SA’s health care and social assistance industry, personal carers lodge about 27% of claims and nursing and midwifery professionals about 11% (SafeWork SA).
What are SA regulators and the government saying?
The psychosocial regulations have applied since Christmas 2023. SA’s Work Health and Safety (Psychosocial Risks) Amendment Regulations apply from 25 December 2023 (SafeWork SA), and SafeWork SA is running a compliance campaign in health care and social assistance in 2025-26 (SafeWork SA).
The government’s program centres on security, with training named. Its "Targeting violence in our hospitals" program includes 24/7 security at metropolitan and larger regional hospitals, security upgrades and a Respectful Behaviours campaign, and says staff and contractors are trained in working with patients displaying concerning behaviours (SA Government).
Security contracts already cover training. The government told Parliament that all local health networks have security service agreements, and that their work includes "training staff in working with consumers who display behaviours of concern" (Hansard, April 2025).
More is coming. The Health Minister has announced a Code Black roundtable (ANMJ), and the Chief Psychiatrist’s 2025-26 annual report, the first from the new Chief Psychiatrist, is due in late 2026 (Office of the Chief Psychiatrist).
Which arguments land in South Australia?
In SA, lead with the Code Black trend: it is public, rising and counted the same way across the system.
- The violence trend. Code Blacks are on track for a record in 2026. Put your own network’s Code Black count next to the statewide trend.
- Avoided cost. Use your network’s audited liability, not just the year’s expense. It is what the network expects to pay on claims already made, and it doesn’t swing with revaluations.
- Get more from the security contract. Security agreements already include training on behaviours of concern. Training clinical staff in the same approach makes the response one system.
- Compliance. The psychosocial regulations and SafeWork SA’s health care campaign mean regulators are looking at how services control the risk of violence.
- Restrictive practice. Fewer Code Blacks that end in restraint protect patients and staff. Prevention and de-escalation reduce both.
Where can the money come from in South Australia?
SA’s networks have their own research and nursing grants, and SA Health’s security program is the biggest internal budget to align with.
| Source | What it can pay for | Amount | Who applies | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHN OV, security, education and WHS budgets | Programs aligned with the security agreement and the government’s violence program | Internal | Directors of nursing, safety and mental health | Annual budget cycle |
| CALHN Allied, Scientific Health, Pharmacy and Nursing Grant | A nurse-led project that implements and evaluates a practice change | Up to $45,000 | CALHN nurses and allied health staff | Likely June to August 2027 |
| Hospital Research Foundation Group network rounds | Research and practice-improvement projects | $10,000–$80,000, depending on the round | Staff of SALHN, NALHN and WCHN | Rounds vary |
Frame grant applications as an evaluated, nurse-led practice change, not a training purchase. See Part 3.
Where do I find my own figures?
Your network’s cost is public; the rest is in SA Health’s systems.
- Workers’ compensation: your network’s audited expense and liability in the Auditor-General’s report, and claims data from your WHS team.
- Incidents: Safety Learning System reports for Code Blacks and occupational violence, by unit.
- Seclusion and restraint: your service’s rates from the Chief Psychiatrist’s reporting.
- Workforce: sick leave, vacancies and agency use for high-risk units.
Frequently asked questions
How many Code Blacks are there in SA hospitals?
15,459 were recorded in 2025, up from 13,094 in 2024, and 9,213 were recorded in January to June 2026, according to figures reported from SA Health's Safety Learning System.
What does workers’ compensation cost SA Health?
SA Health’s audited workers’ compensation expense was $52.9m in 2025-26, down from $70.8m in 2024-25. The expense swings because it includes revaluations of future claims, so each network’s claims liability is the steadier measure.
Does a hospital’s security contract cover staff training?
In SA, yes: every local health network has a security service agreement, and the government has told Parliament that their work includes training staff in working with consumers who display behaviours of concern.
Sources
- Premier of South Australia, Targeting violence in our hospitals
- ANMJ, rising Code Black incidents in SA (September 2026)
- Glam Adelaide, SA hospitals record more than 9,200 Code Blacks in six months
- SA Legislative Council Hansard, 29 April 2025 (security service agreements)
- SafeWork SA, psychosocial risk regulations (December 2023)
- Auditor-General for South Australia, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2026
- SA Chief Psychiatrist annual reports