Minister Tim Nicholls vows to protect nurses after terror video
A ‘90 seconds of terror’ video produced by The Sunday Mail exposing the extreme dangers facing nurses has sparked a plan for change
QLD News
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A “90 seconds of terror” video produced by The Sunday Mail exposing the extreme dangers facing nurses as they walk to their cars down dark alleys after night shifts, has sparked Health Minister Tim Nicholls to launch a priority plan to keep health workers safe.
“Yes, I watched the video and the safety of nurses and healthcare workers is a key concern.. The issue was swept under the rug by the former Labor government for 10 years,” Mr Nicholls said.
A survey of nurses by the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland has highlighted how the lack of allocated and affordable carparking is forcing them to ditch night shifts as they report being verbally, physically and sexually harassed while walking far outside hospital grounds.
In the middle of a health workforce crisis, fear of attack is causing nurses to cancel after-hours shifts and their partners to take the unsustainable step of getting kids out of bed in the night to pick them up.
The nurses report being pelted with bottles and eggs. They make sure they wear their hair up in a bun rather than a ponytail so there is less chance of being dragged down by the hair.
“I have instructed Queensland Health to ensure all steps are taken to aid the safety in and near hospitals for nurses, healthcare workers and patients. We will continue to work with nurses’ representatives on the issues they have brought to my attention,” Mr Nicholls said.
The minister has asked the state’s Hospital and Health Services to provide him with reports of incidents.
The NPAQ has received an email from Director General of Queensland Health David Rosengren outlining the development of a Statewide Hospital Car Parking Framework to “create a consistent approach to managing car parks across Queensland public hospitals”.
The plan includes providing more carparking spaces and carpark facilities, ensuring financial sustainability through a not-for-profit model that directs public funds towards clinical services and offering concessional parking options for eligible users.
But NPAQ president Kara Thomas has blasted the lack of commitment to an immediate solution.
“While the central bureaucracy produces frameworks and objectives, our nurses are being terrorised in parking lots,” Ms Thomas said.
“We demand the immediate implementation of security patrols during shift changes, improved lighting installation within 30 days, installation of duress alarms within 30 days, safe after-hours parking in secure areas within 14 days and immediate free or 50 cent parking for all staff,” she said.
Originally published as Minister Tim Nicholls vows to protect nurses after terror video
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