Fears over Parramatta Light Rail running through mental hospital at Westmead
As works start on the Parramatta Light Rail through a mental health hospital, nurses slammed the government for building the line “near where we’re looking after people with depression and schizophrenia”.
Parramatta
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Nurses at western Sydney’s largest mental health hospital will rally against the Parramatta Light Rail threatening the safety of their 250 patients when it carves through the campus.
Ahead of a protest on Monday and amid an industrial battle, the delegates slammed the government for ignoring them after they raised legitimate concerns for patient safety and implications about the site’s redevelopment.
NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association’s Cumberland Hospital members say the redevelopment will threaten patient safety, confidentiality and heighten their anxiety when trams go through the Hainsworth St hospital, where site works started this week.
Delegate Luke Muller said the government had failed to update staff on the redevelopment.
“It concerns us we’re going to have members of the public interacting with our patients,’’ he said.
“We’ve not been consulted. We’re not sure what the implications are. Having the community walk through will be difficult.’’
The union initially said the government initially reassured the association that plans were being developed to relocate services into new mental health facilities within the expanding Westmead Hospital precinct before it was scrapped.
“Everybody thinks the risks are far too great to be mitigated unless it’s underground or re-routed,’’ Mr Muller said.
Nurse Pattie Allen fears patients’ anxiety will soar when construction noise and the train line exacerbate their problems.
“The mental health facility should not be anywhere near where we’re looking after people with depression and schizophrenia, where they’re told to kill themselves constantly.’’
Nurse Warwick Lahner said the government failed to undertake proper risk assessments.
“We’ve asked for the last six, seven years. It’s construction 101 — you do your risk assessment first,’’ he said.
“Not that we’re trying to dramatise it, but these are foreseeable risks.”
Site preparation works that started this prompted a vote by concerned branch members to take industrial action about new admissions to Cumberland Hospital.
The union was subsequently called to appear in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission on Tuesday and recommendations were made against the industrial action proceeding.
The union met with Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) representatives to discuss members’ concerns, leading Transport for NSW to halt its works until issues raised by delegates were addressed and further staff consultations and risk assessments occur.
Other site preparation work by Health Infrastructure will continue and both parties are due to reappear before the NSW IRC next week.
A WSLHD spokeswoman said the service had undertaken consultation regarding the Parramatta Light Rail Project since 2016, providing staff and the community, including unions, an opportunity to share feedback.
“Consultation with stakeholders such as staff, the community, NSW Transport and the Nurses and Midwives Association is ongoing through all staff forums, focus groups, project user groups, workshops and meetings,’’ she said.
“The safety and wellbeing of patients and our staff is our highest priority.”
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said it was working with NSW Health and Western Sydney Local Health District to ensure critical health operations at Cumberland Hospital were not compromised during the construction and operation of the light rail “and to minimise any impact to patients from noise and vibration during construction”.
“Our construction workers are made aware of the sensitivities of the site and briefing sessions are held regularly with construction teams,’’ she said.
“Accessibility is a key consideration of design for the precinct.”
After Concord Centre for Mental Health, Cumberland Hospital is the second largest mental health facility in Sydney.
The first stage of Parramatta Light Rail will link Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia when it is completed in 2023.
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