REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Monday, September 12, 2011

NURSES at The Tweed Hospital were forced to abandon patients every two hours to avoid parking fines of up $400.

In an extreme case of bureaucracy gone mad, the vital health workers were elbowing other staff, residents and visitors for parking spaces in the streets around the hospital precinct, which is also home to the massive Tweed Heads Bowls Club,

Southern Cross University’s Tweed campus and council offices and library.

Under Tweed council regulations, the fine for exceeding parking time limits is $88 and stopping in a disability parking space costs more than $400.

Despite having at least 200 nurses rostered on at any one shift, the hospital provided only 50 designated staff car parks.

NSW Nurses Association Tweed branch president Zoe Guinea said nurses were resorting to dire measures to find parking.

“Nurses on the late shift find

there is nowhere to park when they get here and have to park miles away and walk to their cars without security in the dark after they finish their shift,” she said.

Ms Guinea said council’s parking officers had begun targeting the area and fining staff.

“Without warning Tweed Shire Council has decided to start fining the nurses who park in two-hour parking spots when there is nowhere else to park,” she said. “Nurses have to run out and move their cars every two hours to avoid the fines and sometimes that’s not possible. It’s pathetic.”