More than 25,000 people back calls for Federal Government to abolish single nurse posts in remote communities

PARLIAMENT will be asked to better protect remote area nurses, as more than 80,000 people sign a petition calling for single-nurse posts in outback areas to be abolished, after the alleged murder of nurse Gayle Woodford.

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INDEPENDENT Senator Nick Xenophon will introduce a resolution to parliament calling on the Federal Government to better protect remote area nurses, who have reacted with anger and grief after the alleged murder of Gayle Woodford.

More than 80,000 people have signed a petition calling for the introduction of “Gayle’s Law”, which would abolish single-nurse posts in remote areas and introduce a mandatory requirement for health workers to attend out-of-hours emergencies in pairs.

Nurses have also been asked to wrap bandages around their arms today in memory of Mrs Woodford.

It is not yet clear how Mrs Woodford, 56, was enticed out of her Fregon home at 12am on Thursday and left in an awaiting health clinic ambulance.

Police during the search for SA health worker Gayle Woodford a few kilometres out of Fregon in the APY Lands. Picture: Simon Cross

Her body was found in a shallow grave about 1.5km from the community on Saturday.

An APY Lands man, 36, has been charged over her murder. He was flown to Port Augusta Prison and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Police have seized CCTV footage from Cadney Roadhouse at Marla, where the charged man allegedly stopped.

Senator Xenophon said the Federal Government needed to better protect remote area nurses after it was revealed almost one in three had been assaulted.

‘There’s an issue — this shows how unsafe remote area nurses are and the government needs to take action,” he said.

According to a 2008 University of South Australia study of 349 nurses working in “very remote” areas, 28.6 per cent reported they had experienced physical violence.

About 66 per cent also felt concerned for their personal safety.

While the study showed there had been a drop in violence against remote area nurses since 1995, it stated the drop was likely due to a reduction in single nurse posts.

“However, these improvements have not been implemented across all remote health care facilities and more universal changes need to occur,” the study stated.

The petition was started by remote area nurse Joanne Norton, who believes nurses should not attend call-outs and emergencies alone.

The stolen ambulance that police believe was used in the abduction of Gayle Woodford. Picture: SA Police.

Ms Norton has named the change “Gayle’s Law”.

“Remote Area Nurses are instrumental in delivering and improving access to healthcare in isolated communities across our expansive outback,” her petition states.

She said since Christmas last year, there have been two sexual assaults of remote area nurses and the murder of “our colleague” Mrs Woodford in Fregon.

“The role of the RAN encompasses the whole of life care, from antedate to end of life,” she said.

“We operate far outside the metro area, which means we are on call after hours and usually expected to attend after hours emergencies as single responders.”

“We are asking the (Federal Government) to abolish single nurse posts in Australia.

“And to assist in making it mandatory for two responders to attend all after hours call outs in government, indigenous health corporations and not-for-profit health centres across Australia.”

A spokesman for federal Rural Health Minister Fiona Nash said the minister was “saddened” to learn of Mrs Woodford’s tragic passing.

“As the facts around Mrs Woodford’s death have not yet been established and the matter is subject to a police investigation, it would be irresponsible to comment further,” he said.

Remote nurse Heather McMahon has worked in remote communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia for eight years and supports the petition.

“I love my job but I have always had issues and grave fears around my safety when ‘on call’ after hours,” she wrote in a comment on the petition page.

“In some communities there is no security for nurses after hours — it is expected for nurses to attend call outs and emergencies on your own.

“It is scary and unsafe. Police only work in pairs at all times and carry tasers, guns, handcuffs and capsicum spray among other things.

“Nurses carry a torch and a handbag.

“We deal with the same clientele and situations — domestic violence, alcohol and drug affected abusive behaviour, aggression, mental health, assaults (and) accidents.

“We need your support.”