‘Rape alley’: Union blasts parking safety for nightshift nurses at SEQ hospital

Nurses feel so unsafe walking to their cars at night they try to avoid late shifts or move their cars closer during breaks. Their union says safety is such an issue one street has been dubbed “rape alley’’.

Ipswich Hospital nurses feel so unsafe walking to their cars at night they try to avoid late shifts or move their cars closer during breaks, while some have dubbed one dark lane “rape alley’’.

They said safety had been a concern for years, but they were now on heightened alert after the alleged stabbing of Vyleen White at a Redbank shopping centre carpark and the alleged brutal assault of a fruit shop manager at a Goodna carpark.

In the latest incident, the partner of a nurse said their wife was followed by two male youths just before midnight as she was walking to her car at the end of a shift.

They threw eggs at her before she fled in terror back inside the hospital.

“My wife was so scared she ran to the hospital and called me. When I reached the hospital she was upset, scared and shivering,’’ the man posted on a local Facebook group.

“Since then I try my best to drop and pick her up whenever she is working night shift.

“Every time I go to pick her up I see those poor nurses walk on dark streets to their parked cars.’’

A street near Ipswich Hospital has been dubbed "rape alley'' by some nurses who fear walking there after dark.

Nurses Professional Association of Queensland (NPAQ) president Kara Thomas said they had reached out to their members after the incident.

Members said they were reluctant to work at night, or moved their cars closer during breaks in their shifts if street spaces opened up.

Ms Thomas said her members had repeatedly called for action but no “meaningful’’ changes had been made.

“Certain areas near the facility have been dubbed “rape alley” by our members,’’ she said. “This term reflects the harrowing reality faced by nurses, a female dominated profession, particularly when walking to their cars after hours.

“It is a stark indictment on our government that such unsafe conditions persist.’’

West Moreton Health Chief Executive Hannah Bloch said the “safety and wellbeing of our staff and patients is our top priority’’.

“We are working with our staff and security team on a range of solutions to the issue of personal safety after hours,’’ Ms Bloch said.

“We regularly remind staff of actions they can take to maintain their safety, which includes having a personal security escort on request.’’

A sleeping bag and rubbish on the street dubbed “rape alley’’.

West Moreton Health recently spent $2.5 million upgrading its CCTV network across the Ipswich Hospital campus, including extra cameras to eliminate blind spots, as well as improving lighting on the hospital grounds.

A free shuttle bus service between Ipswich Hospital and other carparks in the city operated between 6am and 11.20pm daily, but former and current nurses said they often finished after 11.20pm on busy shifts.

The recent egging incident happened about 11.30pm.

The Ipswich Hospital Foundation ran two multistorey, 24-hour car parks, both with CCTV and duress alarms.

But nurses said they were usually full, forcing them to park on the street and often several blocks away up a hill that was very dark at night.

Nurses felt unsafe walking some streets near Ipswich Hospital.

They said while there were about four security guards on duty at any one time, often they were busy dealing with violent patients in emergency or the mental health unit.

Nurses often had to wait for long periods at the end of tiring night shifts before an escort was available.

One nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while they had not heard the term “rape alley’’ there was “lots of discussion around how dangerous it is to walk to your car after late shifts, especially due to how it is impossible to get parking in the car parks’’.

“Staff end up walking 10-plus minutes late at night. The solution is supposedly that security can escort staff to their car, but often times they will decline due to workload.

“People are definitely more cautious following the recent (alleged) stabbing.”

Ms Thomas said the problem was well known to the hospital, with staff on safety committees calling previously for dedicated staff parking and more security during shift changes.

NPAQ president Kara Thomas says more needs to be done to improve security for nurses.

“Queensland Health’s failure to provide safe parking for employees at Ipswich Hospital is unacceptable and likely constitutes a breach of their workplace health and safety obligations,’’ she claimed.

“Regrettably, some nurses have expressed their reluctance to work after hours due to the lack of safe parking, while others have considered leaving their positions altogether.

“Members have stated they try to move their cars closer during breaks on afternoon shifts.

“This situation underscores the urgent need for Queensland Health to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of its staff.

“NPAQ demands immediate action to address these safety concerns and ensure that nurses can perform their duties without fear or apprehension.’’

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary Sarah Beaman said threats and violence against health care workers was a national issue and one the QNMU took very seriously.

“Having a safe working environment is every nurse and midwife’s right. It is also every employer’s responsibility to ensure their employees are safe at work,’’ she said.

“It is unacceptable that nurses and midwives across the state are so frequently exposed to violence and threats.

“The QNMU continues to campaign vigorously to address violence against health care workers.’’

It had worked closely with the Queensland Health Occupational Violence Strategy Unit on better CCTV, staff training, better communication with police and expansion of the “ambassador’’ program to all clinical areas.