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Hospital car parking fees to be reviewed

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Published Date:
15 September 2007
CAR parking charges at hospitals in Scotland are to be reviewed after concerns over patients, staff and visitors paying hundreds of pounds a year, it was announced yesterday.
Last year, The Scotsman revealed a postcode lottery of fees around the country. Edinburgh Royal Infirmary charges £7 a day and NHS Greater Glasgow has just introduced similar charges at four hospitals.

The charges have proved unpopular with patie
nts and staff, with parents saying they have had to leave the bedsides of their sick children to feed meters.

Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary, said it was time to review the guidance to health boards on charging.

"People working at or visiting hospitals across Scotland should be protected from unnecessary or excessive charges," she said.

"The cost of hospital car parking, especially for lower paid members of staff who do not qualify for a parking permit, can be a large expense and I understand the concern expressed to me by many people who work in the NHS."

The Scottish Government review will study how schemes can be modified to ensure fairness to staff, patients, visitors and carers.

Greater Glasgow health board welcomed the move and pledged to work with the Scottish Government.

"It is clear that there are challenges faced all over Scotland in ensuring that patients, visitors and staff who need a car for vital duties can access hospital car parks when they need to," the board said today.

Any changes at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, Scotland's biggest private finance initiative hospital, will have to be made in conjunction with private company Consort Healthcare, which operates the car parks.



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1

Guga II,

Rockall 15/09/2007 02:14:00

We own the hospitals, so why should we have to pay to park there?

2

Chief Steward,

Canada 15/09/2007 02:45:00

Parking fees at hospitals make a mockery of the concept of free health care.
A certain hospital I know has a sign up trying to excuse its exorbitant parking fees by saying the profit is used to pay for medical equipment. This may well be the case, but it has the effect of letting the government off the hook so that instead of health care being the first call on the public treasury the government sees fit to relegate it behind, among other things, military expenditure to help the British and Americans to kill people in Afganistan.

3

The Forgotten Princess,

Blacksburg 15/09/2007 04:02:29

How absurd to imagine leaving the bedside of a sick child to feed a parking meter. Free parking should be provided for patients and staff at all levels.

4

Goody2Shoes,

15/09/2007 07:19:20

Health Board are currently trying to set up paid parking at the Astley Ainslie Hospital and telling staff that not all staff will get a permit to park. Some staff cannot get buses easily to the workplace at suitable times to working. I think staff should be able to park within the hospital grounds. Why make it more difficult to work when sickness rates are high

5

Boy Wonder,

15/09/2007 07:29:19

I think if there has to be a charge, then it's only for visitors (not health workers) and £1 an hour is ample! Anything more is profiteering at the patient and their family's expense!!

6

Eye glass,

Derby 15/09/2007 08:09:57

Isn't is it time for frequent shuttle buses for patients, visitors and staff to and from all the hospitals to picking-up points along the routes, and also to a central picking-up point?

Would such a service be organised by the local authority and the NHS for the area working together as planners and funders?

7

Calum Mcleod,

15/09/2007 08:47:04

#4 I think you will find that the restriction on staff car parking will mean that those working shifts or unsocial hours will not be provided for and will have to rely on bus services which are not suitable for shift workers. You can be sure that the Admin gurus, paperclip sorters, HR experts, "Best Value" trumpeteers etc etc will all have a parking space, some even with their name on it.

8

JG,

Fife 15/09/2007 09:00:57

#7 Calum
Too true - I saw on the news last night that all of the reduced price permits went to the overpaid paper shufflers while medical staff were paying about £140 a month to park.

9

Kenn,

15/09/2007 09:06:59

If you think this is bad, spare a thought for those poor souls falling ill in Swindon. The charge for 24 hours at the local hospital (on the outskirts of town) is £35.

10

Calum Mcleod,

15/09/2007 09:33:45

#8 JG, It seems to be a similar situation to that which the Evening highlighted about Police Headquarters in Edinburgh, only the police took it further. They tried to get an exemption to on-street parking restrictions at their Headquarters by claiming that their workers were emergency workers. Even the cops who posted said that there were very few cops or emergency workers in the building and it was a con to get parking for all the Admin and Support workers who work on standard office hours!!
Its seems to me that administration has taken over the world especially those new "Diversity" types who lecture everyone on discrimination and then are quite happy to discriminate against shift workers or coal face workers by ousting them from the car park or the staff canteens!!

11

Calum Mcleod,

15/09/2007 09:34:37

I meant "Evening News". Apologies.

12

JG,

Fife 15/09/2007 09:47:40

#10 Calum
There was an article in our local paper a while ago which highlighted the fact that there are 2 admin staff for every medical worker at our local hospital. Clearly we need SOME admin workers but I often saw people with clipboards wandering aimlessly around the corridors/cafe area during the times I had to take my parents there for appointments - it would be interesting to know exactly why they were there. Oh, and I had to park in streets near to the hospital because there were no parking spaces to be found.

13

Calum Mcleod,

15/09/2007 09:57:44

As I say and you experience, a classic displacement of priorities.

14

Dave From Barra,

Western Isles 15/09/2007 10:18:11

Literally, highway robbery. My wife ( a nurse) has freinds in the mainland in the Perth RI and Glasgow RI. They tell me there isn't an adequate bus service to cover the most random on shifts that they have to do such as a 7am to 3pm (can't get in but can get back) or 3pm to 10am (can get in but can't get back) and night shift can be problematic too. Both have kids n all, like many a hard working nurse and sometimes have to shoot off in an emergancy.

Like some of the articles have stated, a nurse might not clock off until 730am but the charges start at 7am so she is fined. Nonsense

15

rgeg,

15/09/2007 13:34:35

Car parking free...Smithycroft Rd, turn left Lee Avenue, oh sh*t it's Barlinnie Prison, I thought it was a hospital...

16

lisa,

perth 15/09/2007 14:04:45

Friend of mine gave up her job at an Edinburgh hospital because they charged her £10 per shift to park her car.

Seems to me that the bureaucrats in the NHS are losing the pliot big time.

17

geekpie,

forfar 15/09/2007 14:51:50

Guga II "We own the hospitals, so why should we have to pay to park there?"

Because there aren't enough spaces for everyone who wants one.

18

Jay Kay,

burntisland 15/09/2007 17:41:23

the hospital i work in have designated zones where you pay £1.60 for up to 4 hours, £5 for up to 7 hours etc. anyway these areas are right at the front of the hospital. so when an oncall surgeon has to rush into theatre, she parked closest to the entrance and ran. but because she hadnt been able to pay the correct amount of cash as she was rushing into save someones life she was then charged £30 fine. ok so she may have the wage to pay it, but its the principle surely. this is her place of work and legally parking should be provided to accomodate workers. You wouldnt get planning permission to build a house without ensuring the correct number of spaces for the owners and visitors to the house, therefore why should a hospital be any different. Infact they are building new centres where an additionally 500 people could be based at work yet have made no plan to add more parking. My partner is a structural engineer and knows that it is possiblt to improve the existing parking yet our £1.60s just arent going towards any upgrade rather into the pockets of the private car park sector.

19

Food Bank,

Africa 15/09/2007 18:24:26

1. Guga II, Rockall

Why do you keep talking about having a wee willy on other threads? I for one do not care to read about your small genitals!

20

truthsleuth,

SouthoftheBorder 16/09/2007 22:25:39

It would be nice to have 'free' car parking at hospitals especially as 'we' own them.
BUt car parks cost money and money spent on car parks is not going into health care.
Already harsh decisions are being made as to what and who should get what and when to keep them alive so I for one, a motorist and hospital outpatient would rather pay the car paking charge than have someonr deprived of hospital care.
Now admittedly some people who go by car would have difficulty in using the bus, but their difficulty is nought when compared with their neighbours down the street who have NO car and have to visit their ill child who is in long term treatment.

There is a case for staff who are working unfavourable hours should be reasonably compensated for costs incurred by their duties.
Though it may seem harsh the hospital is NOT a car park and car parking should not be a demand on hospital funds in fact it should be run as a 'business' and contribute to hospital funds.

For those who disagree which of you is prepared to stand up and say.
Perhaps part of the answer is to allow in patients to elect to forgo some of their care budget so that others can park their car at reduced rates.


 

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