3 June 2020
Whyalla Hospital has revised its car parking policies following concerns by members about safety and parking in non-daylight hours.
The hospital’s main carpark was previously out of bounds for staff between the hours of 7am and 5pm. However, some staff were arriving for work at 6.15am for their 6.30am shift.
Members contacted the ANMF (SA Branch) about safety issues and having to walk long distances in the dark, particularly given a number of “unsavoury” characters in the area.
The ANMF (SA Branch) contacted Whyalla Hospital management, asking if the car park could be made accessible to staff up until 9am. Whyalla management then made the announcement that staff could park close to the hospital until 8.30am, before moving their car in daylight hours.
ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj. Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM called the extended parking hours “a step in the right direction”.
“Obviously there is much more that can and should be done to keep people safe,’’ Ms Dabars said, referencing the ANMF (SA Branch)’s Crime Stoppers initiative and also the installation of CCTV cameras at various facilities.
“This is absolutely a nationwide issue with violence and aggression being something that has really become part of everyday life for health care workers and the reality is it shouldn’t be,’’ she said.
“People are entitled to go to work in a safe environment and they should also be entitled to know that their patients and visitors are in a safe environment.
“In the recent in-principle EBA agreement, we won an assurance that SA Health will commit to early implementation of violence and fatigue policies throughout the health system, two key issues for members which had led to state-wide campaign action last year.’’
SA Health says it is currently monitoring the car parking situation at Whyalla Hospital with the help of the local council, and that there had been an increase in duress alarms within the accident and emergency departments.