19 June 2019
The ANMF (SA Branch) has written to management at all North Adelaide hospital sites following the Adelaide City Council’s decision to shorten parking timeframes in the area.
We believe reducing the parking duration times in these areas will significantly impact nurses and midwives employed at The Memorial Hospital, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network and Calvary Hospital, given that:
A majority of ANMF (SA Branch) members work shifts and have no choice about their arrival and departure times from work; and
Whilst taking all reasonable measures to protect themselves from harm, there have been a number of instances of harassment or violence towards our members (and others) in these areas over the years.
Removing the use of carparks close to the health services in North Adelaide, in the absence of accessible alternatives, is in our view simply adding to the problem and leaving nurses and midwives vulnerable to further abuse and attack.
Whilst we acknowledge it is unrealistic to expect the hospitals to conjure up sufficient volumes of safe and accessible car parking immediately, we have reminded these employers that they have a responsibility to provide safe systems of work and work environments for their employees.
As such, we have written to each hospital seeking urgent details on strategies that have been developed to address this issue and have welcomed the opportunity to further discuss any options directly with management at each site.
The ANMF (SA Branch) will keep affected members updated on this issue as further information is known.