Mobile services

Carers as “parking offenders”: when punishment is imminent

Time is often short. But not everyone in mobile care gets the same parking permit.(Bild: RK Klosterneuburg)

The next injustice in the care sector, which is already plagued by an acute staff shortage: According to the law, only the senior service is allowed to park anywhere. The gap is now to be closed. 

Time is usually short in mobile nursing care. Often it's even a matter of minutes. As in the case where a palliative patient's condition worsened and the nurse was required to stay longer than usual. "When the colleague returned to the car, she had a parking ticket," explains Susanne Duschl from Elixhausen, Head of Home Nursing at Verein Aktiv.

The situation is difficult for us because valuable time is lost.

Susanne Duschl,  Hauskrankenpflege beim Verein Aktiv

Bild: Susanne Duschl

Injustice in the law
According to road traffic regulations, only qualified nursing staff are allowed to stand in no-parking zones for the duration of their work. However, nursing assistants and assistants often have to walk longer distances to free spaces and parking machines or risk a fine. Duschl: "It's difficult for us. There are also more and more short-term parking zones in the municipalities." Valuable time is lost.

In the shortage of nursing staff, this is the next hurdle in everyday life that acts as a deterrent. The mobile services visit several patients a day and have hardly any time reserves on their tours. The Red Cross has not yet had any parking problems. "Everyone who is out and about gets the same parking authorization," says spokeswoman Roberta Thanner.

SPÖ wants to bring about change
In order to eliminate the injustice, the state would have to extend the exception in the parking fee law and demand a change in the road traffic regulations from the federal government. Barbara Thöny (SPÖ): "Working time in the care sector is precious and should not be used to search for parking spaces or parking machines. Any reduction in workload is important, especially because those affected tell us that the current regulations make their work more difficult." On Wednesday, this will be discussed in parliament at the request of the SPÖ.