Hospital parking update
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We had an incredible response to Watchdog's first report on hospital parking on this website a couple of weeks ago.
Range of charges
Last year the NHS raked in £100 million from hospital parking, with charges ranging from £2 a day to £3 an hour.
A few quid for an hour may not sound like much, but when you have to go to hospital every day because you're seriously ill or you're visiting someone who's ill, parking could end up costing you hundreds of pounds.
Good news for some
But there's good news for at least some of the UK. In April, Wales abolished car parking charges in most of its NHS hospitals. By, 2011, it's expected that only four hospitals in Wales will still charge for parking.
In May, Northern Ireland introduced free parking for patients with cancer and some other critical illnesses.
Scotland will abolish parking charges in all publicly-operated hospital car parks by the end of the year.
"Scrapping parking fees is the right thing to do"
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon is convinced that scrapping parking fees is the right thing to do. She told Watchdog that the charges are a "tax on patients on visitors" and a "tax on hardworking NHS staff". She says that "it's right to get rid of it in principal but it's also a practical way to ease the financial burden on people in a time of difficult economic circumstances."
But in England, the health authorities aren't budging. Meaning it's the only part of the UK where most patients, visitors and staff will still have to pay.
Read all the hospital parking comments here.
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Comments
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After visiting my Doctor I was told to go straight to St Peter's Chertsey. Not knowing what was happening I paid for 2 hours parking. When I was told I would be admitted, staff took my car details and advised car park security that I had been admitted. Three days later I left the hospital; my car was still there and not clamped and I had only paid for 2 hours. The Minister is completely correct; as long as you let staff know you will not be made to pay for long term parking.
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Because of my husband's health condition, we need to visit 3 different hospitals at least once a year. Parking nearby any of them is a nightmare, and getting worse. The Royal Marsden in Fulham only has street parking, and the rates in Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are astronomical. The waiting limits even for disabled badge holders are too short - how do you know how long you are going to be waiting for results of scans, see the specialist etc. We don't travel by public transport because there is no nearby main rail station at either end of the journey, and buses and tubes are too much for a pereson with disabilities. You want to be in your own car if you feel unwell, not under the gaze of other passengers. The Princess Royal in Haywards Heath charges £1.50 per hour, and will only take £1 and 50p pieces, so we always have to ensure we are well prepared with change. If visiting my husband as a patient, I can really only afford to stay for a maximum of 1 hour which is really not long enough each day. Then Royal Sussex at Brighton - this is the worst of the lot. Free parking for diabled badge holders, but rarely near the hospital, and if you park in a hurry as I did last year, and mistakenly put the disabled badge upside down, you get fined £60. When I sent the cheque off to Brighton & Hove Council with a covering letter, explaining my error, I did not even get the courtesy of an acknowledgement, they just cashed the cheque.
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while my mother was in hospital she was there for six and a half weeks l was paying £ 6.00 per day for parking at City Hospital Birmingham so over the six and a half weeks it cost me to visit my mother was £252.00 pounds this l feel is taxing visiters to visit love ones in hospital unfortunately my mother pass away within 4 weeks of leaving the hospital !!!
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I work for a NHS Trust in Leeds, and since starting here in 2000, I have had to pay for parking, this is not an issue for me, as I have worked in London and had to park offsite about 1/2 mile away adding to my journey time. This year though, we had a multi-storey carpark open for both visitors and staff, we now have the pleasure of a secure parking facilty, for the cost of £28 a month, if you work more than 18hours a week and peak-time. I myself work 20hrs a week and nights, this cost me £14. But, if I need to come into work for a study day, or change my shift my permit does not cover me to park at these times, so I then would have to pay upto £12 a day!! This price is for visitors and parents of sick children, who are only given a free permit if their child if going to stay more than 7 days, but, we are not mindreaders, so how can we, as nurses and doctors, predict how long a child and patients is going to be admitted for.
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The NHS can't have it both ways. Relatives are now responsible for personal laundry of patients and this can be an ongoing daily task. The stress of trying to find a carparking space within the 2 hour slot allowed for visiting so that you can visit and make sure your relative is OK is immense. Yes, weekly permits are available but only during office hours. When you work fulltime 60 miles away obtaining one can be difficult. Why can't the ward staff give out a weekly permit to regular visitors.
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I am a specialist nurse employed by the acute hospital to help develop out patient clincis within a community hospital and out of the acute hospital setting (in line with government guidelines). I am based in a unit owned by the community trust although the clinics are run by the acute hospital trust staff. Recently the community trust tried to bring in parking charges and we were asked to apply for parking passes. Most of the nurses running the clinics were refused passes and would have been lable for a charge of £10 for 4 hours parking. While no-one objected to a nominal parking charge, £10 per day for 4 hours totally unreasonable.
Interestingly, most of the community staff were allocated passes including one given to a blind person!
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I work in a hospital in Paisley, so thankfully the hospital charges were abolished before they got to us. If the charges went ahead I would have to have paid £60 per month just to park at work and as a clerical worker I don't get paid a great deal to start with and the public transport is totally inadequate where I live so I have to use my car. My sister works in a Glasgow hospital where the charges have been in effect for some months now and apparently it is total chaos there since then, with people being forced to park outside the grounds and causing problems for local residents. The permit holders car park, which is just for the very highly paid staff it seems, is mostly half empty. If charges must be made then surely if staff and public were just charged pennies per day it wouldn't hurt our pockets and the NHS would still make a fortune out of it.
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i believe people are missing the obvious cause. With goverment closing hospitals to create super hospitals, many people are having to travel much further, so they drive or obtain a lift as public transport is so poor it costs a fortune or takes forever.The problem is goverment caused. Anyway as its all payed for by tax payers, we are taxed for parking on our own land.At hospitals that have parking problems, all thats required is a simple token system. On completion of a visit or appointment you are issued with token to raise a barrier. simple
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After watching your program the other night i can't help but feel that if the NHS was to stop wasting tax payers money on mangers and league tables that are not needed and were to get down to running hosptials properly like they used to be ran, then they might actually find spare cash to offer free parking. The NHS is starting to become a joke
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Lister Hospital in Steveneage is to charge Blue Badge holders for parking in the car park, when there are no BB spaces left! The staff are however very good at asking if you are parked in the car park, when your treatment is taking a long time, or the clinic is running late.
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I am a nurse and pay a monthly fee to park my car in a staff car parking space. However there are not enough staff parking spaces to cater for the amount of staff working at the hospital at any one time. If i cannot find a staff car parking space i am still expected to pay and display in a visitors car parking space in order to go to work. Depending on what time i am starting work i have to allow at least half an hour to park in order to be on time to start my shift.
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I recently took my son to Heartlands hospital in Birmingham for a day operation. This is the major centre for referrals from a wide part of the Midlands. The parking is inadequate considering it is built in part of Birmingham where there is no rail access and poor bus service. I parked to take my son to the ward and was over the 15 mins on return so paid £2. On return for his collection at noon he was delayed and paid £3 as it was over 1hr.
How can they justify this when you would only park there to visit the hospital or if you were a worker. I can understand in busy city/town centres where shoppers or other workers may park. A simple token system is all that is required. I pity NHS staff who have to pay.
The English Government have no excuse and the postcode health service continues.
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As a regular hospital car park user, my main objection is that it is an extra tax on patients,their visitors and staff. A secondary trick that some trusts pull, is to charge an an diverse hourly rate, eg £1.60, and then do not offer any change!.....
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I went to Good Hope hospital (Sutton Coldfield)last night (05/11/08) as my five year old kept being sick (bought on very suddenly).
The car park is a pay upfront one and thinking that they would just check him over and release him I paid the minimum £2.50 for 2 hours. 2 hours later they said he needed to stay there for at least another 30 minutes as he was running a high temperature so I went back to the parking machine as the staff told me they are very strict with parking there and had to pay another £2.50. 30 minutes later they released him. £5.00 for 2.5 hours of parking ... disgraceful !
50p and hour would be more than enough to cover costs any more and its yet another tax.
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I have just recently qualified as a registered nurse. I work for a trust where I have to pay for a parking permit, which costs £54 a year. Having applied for a parking permit I received a letter from the car park company stating that I have been put on a waiting list for this said parking permit, and that hopefully this should take about 8-12 weeks. I was parking in the staff car park and putting a notice in my car to inform the parking attendents that I was a new staff member, as I thought that this is where I should park. On returning to my car after a late shift there on the drivers side window was a parking ticket. The next day I went to the car parking attendants office. I was informed that I had to pay a £6 fine. That the parking attendants do not read notices that are put in the front window of a car. I was informed by the parking attendant that parking in the hospital grounds was over subscribed, and that whist I was having to wait for my parking permit I would have to park in the pay and display car park. This costs £2.70 for 3-8 hours of parking, each time I am at work. I work full time 5 day's a week, which costs me £13.50. I informed the parking attendent that surely this takes a parking space away from a visitor who is visiting their sick relative. I just got told by the parking attendent that no I would not be taking away a parking space that could be used by a visitor, as I am paying to park. However, I am able to claim the £2.70 back from my ward manager, but what concerns me is that I am still taking away a parking space from a visitor.
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As a taxpayer whoses money helps pay for the nhs,why should i pay to park.when you work or visit a hospital you go there for a perpose not just to park your car.staff are providing a service to the public.visitors are visiting sick people and patients are coming for treatment.for those who have to pay the CON Charge aswell that alot of money per day.All staff should be either exempt from CONGESTION CHARGE not just the ones who some hospital's pick and chose.
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What about pregnant women who are going in because they are attending ante natal classes, going into labour or being induced?? You cant tell how long you will be in there and it is unfair to expect the partner to leave the woman's side just to pay the car park!!! Someone seriously needs to re-think this whole car parking charge! Its utterly ridiculous!
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While working at the Isle of Wight hospital, i had applied and paid for a permit, and while waiting for it to arrive, had to put a piece of paper in my windscreen, this fell down one day while i was at work and now the parking company refuse to listen and insist i pay them £90 or go to court... I think it is outrageous enough to make staff pay to park, let alone not listen to them and then harass them for a year sending debt collectors after them, especially as i am now 31 weeks pregnant and could do without the hassle of a court case.
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City Hospital Bimingham have a scheme where you can buy 10 tokens for £10.00. and you can use one anyday for all day parking.This is a big help to my wife and myself as we seem to live there.If there was no charge anyone could, and did park there.A £1.00 a day is very reasonable.
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