To be completely fucked off with hospital parking?

[PooDogMillionaire]

DS had a very bad crack to the head last week, I rushed him to A&E and there was nowhere to park... The only place to pull in had big red signs saying I'd be towed if I parked there, meanwhile DS is almost unconscious, pale with a bleeding head .

I've just arrived at the same hospital for my second attempt at my maternity booking in appointment only to find a 7 car long queue for the very expensive car park. Both appointments have been at 9:30 so I haven't had much time to get up here from school run and have now had to cancel both as nowhere to park.

I'm not sure what the solution is but if be scared to go into labour and not be able to find a space!

[Gildo]

No advice but just wanted to rant alongside you! I got a fine while I was in having an EMCS. I appealed it though and won. I had been paying for tickets throughout the day but obviously when I couldn't nip out mid section and get another one! Crazy.

[gabsdot]

I agree. Our local hospital has pay parking everywhere, including A&E. A few years ago DH cut the top off his thumb with a saw and we had to rush to A&E. Luckily I had remembered to grab my bag otherwise I would have had no money. Also when you do park it's so expensive. I visited my dad in hospital last week and it cost me E5 for just over an hour.
My BIL was in hospital for 10 week last year after a stroke and the parking costs ran to hundreds of euro.

[Gildo]

Obviously I couldn't. That's meant to say.

[Orangeanddemons]

Ooh same here. I just had a big operation. No drop off or pick up points but couldn't walk distance to car park.

[BeaufortBelle]

Yep. I had to go to the breast clinic. The letter did say one could be there all day. I was there for 6.5 hours - meters took a max of 5 hours parking. It was not easy to negotiate leaving the clinic (for which I had to change in and out of a gown) to sort out parking. I was not amused that 1.5 hours was wasted either - 8.30 apt, clinic didn't open until 9, Dr didn't appear until 9.40. Not quite sure why I should have been charged parking for their inefficiency.

[Fratelli]

That is ridiculous. Did they not even move your appointment to a bit later for you? I think the fact that it caused you extra stress with already stressful circumstances with your son is absolutely disgusting. Luckily my hospital was good with maternity parking when I had my son. However, when I've taken my baby to a&e I've had to park ages away as no spaces and carry him across two car parks.
and and congratulations on your pregnancy!

[honeysucklejasmine]

Our hospital built a new multistorey which helps, but at certain times of the day it's a complete ballache nonetheless. Cars coming in have to give way to cars going out and you end up queing round the levels trying to get up high where there might be spaces.

There are loads of disabled spaces, so many that usually 50% of them are empty. On one occasion the car park attendant came running up the ramps and told us to park normal style (distance wise) over the top tier disabled spaces as they were all empty, as were most of them on lower levels. Not ideal really, but I was impressed by his initiative to get the 20 or so non disabled cars parked.

As a side note. It's a very tight car park. There's no way in hell you'd get a wheelchair accessible vehicle up the ramps. That's probably why so many disabled spots are empty... Those with mobility aids can't access them.

Costs a fortune too. Of course. A&E has 20 mins free parking then you have to move to multistorey.

[Blueberry234]

Yep I work at a hospital I spend a stupid amount each month for a permit and end up parking on double yellows or a dumping my car getting a fine once a month just so I can get into work. Never enough spaces.

[Gunting]

Poodog you sound like you live in the same city as me. It's the same with the hospital here.

I turned up when I was in labour and couldn't find a space. After sitting in a queue to get near the maternity unit for way too long I eventually got to the hospital. By the time I got there I was 9cm!

[BeaufortBelle]

I've just remembered something beyond awful. In 1997 I had a miscarriage and needed an ERPC. Went to the hospital for 12 week scan, admitted and left with no baby. Could leave following morning and wanted out asap, ie, before DH could get there and my car was still in the car park. ward said just to tell reception desk and they will clear the ticket (cost would have been about £50) reception desk told me to go back to ward and get a letter because they "heard the same stories every day*. I went ballistic as the CEOs secretary walked past. She sorted it. Central London Hospital.

[Sighing]

Add to the "hospital parking is shite" UHCW. Between me (2-3 a month at the moment) and my friend (1 per week) , who I drive to hospital. We've been delayed for more than half of appointments (we allow loads of extra time). That aldo impacts on NHS targets . But in this case the council was adamant that the hospital couldn't justify a multistorey car park. Because obviously all these injured; disabled; poorly hodpital users would rather use the unreliable bus service (which by the way the hospital roads couldn't handle at opening . Cue months(years) of digging up some of the car parking to rejig it (leaving car parks out of action).

[Schwabischeweihnachtskanne]

All those examples are horrible and rant worthy.

Is it possible there are other parking or paying options that aren't well published though? I drove my DD to a walk in clinic in December and we ended up admitted to the hospital for a week (I stayed with her). I'd parked in the last remaining space in the expensive hospital car park, thinking we would be going home after an hour or two, and didn't even think about the car til the next day. Luckily a lot of asking around revealed that there was a weekly pass available for less than a day's parking at normal rate, and another less obvious car park hidden away, poorly sign posted and with its entrance on a small side street where I could park if I needed to drive out of the car park to buy some emergency clothing etc. and there were no spaces in the main car park when I came back to be with DD.

Might not be the case at UK hospitals though, in which case it is pants, and possibly dangerous.

[trinitybleu]

sighing am heading there today. Wish me luck. Can you pay by card in all the car parks now?

[BeaufortBelle]

No, not all.

[honeysucklejasmine]

Schwab some hospitals do have multiple small car parks, but my local doesn't. You can either park at supermarket and walk over (2 hour time limit), try to get one of the four hour spaces on the road (almost always full) or to the multistorey. Even maternity doesn't have parking... Drop off only.

However, you can get a weekly pass for £20. Considering my antenatal class costs my £5.70 in parking, that's not half bad!

[Kukumbr]

I work in a hospital and as staff we have the same issue, can take up to an hour to be able to park. It's atrocious. That could explain your wait for a doctor BeaufortBelle

[GruntledOne]

I no longer try to drive to routine appointments at our local hospital after the time I got stuck in a long queue for their expensive car park - when I eventually got in it turned out that in fact there were loads of spaces, it was just that the idiot attendant hadn't bothered to check the other end of the car park. Fortunately there is a bus service though it's not very convenient, and obviously that's no use for emergencies.

[Oogle]

Our local hospital is now a "super" hospital (ha!) and parking is ridiculous. There's a multi-storey car park but 2 levels are for staff only (despite 3 other "staff only" multi-storey car parks on site and 2 park & rides off site, although I totally accept the staff need to park somewhere), a large 1 storey car park which is always full and pay & display parking which they have taken half of to give to contractors.

Oh and they've now stopped access to A&E by any vehicle other than an ambulance. It's so stupid. When visiting hours starts, the place is gridlocked.

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

Our 'local' hospital is in a big city.

When I had dd, I had to stay in for 4 days (waiting for a bed on delivery ward)

I took my ticket on way in. They did give me a pre-paid one to exit, as I didn't have £26 in change after 4 days in hospital...

I did manage to get a space, build the pram, get dd in for her test, get out, collapse pram and escape within the 20 minutes free parking, the week after!

Apologies for hogging a space for 4 days. I really couldn't help it!

[LoadsaBlusher]

YANBU
My local hospital is the same .
The carpark is totally full at all times , you have to circle round and round to try to spot a space. They have wardens employed to go round and ticket people.

I have almost missed appointments before due to this endless circling .

I think they should have a separate staff car park , off site plus build a multi storey carpark.

It is so stressful especially when you know that potentially missing an appointment could push you months back down a waiting list again.
I always give myself 30-45 mins before any appointment just to try and get a space .

[LittleBearPad]

I had this when rushing DD to A&E. Absolutely nowhere to park. The car park has lots of 'cul de sacs's too which mean you drive in looking for a space, can't find one, have to do a ten point turn to get out because it's so narrow, then inch past some other hapless patient coming in to look for a non-existent space, then into the next tiny car park. A multi-storey is sorely needed.

They have numberplate recognition on the way in with no barriers or tickets given. You pay when you leave but have to remember when you arrived and calculate how much you think you owe!!

[BeaufortBelle]

Actually kukmbr when I arrived at 8.20 for my 8.30 appointment there were lots of spaces. As my appointment was for 8.30, I'd have expected the staff due to see me to have been parked and on -site before the appointment time. Wouldn't you? If not, perhaps that's why the NHS is groaning.

[SchnooSchnoo]

YANBU. I have to take dd into our local hospital regularly and at short notice. We never know how long we are going to be in for and often a treatment that should take half an hour can take 4-5 hours with all the waiting around. I somehow have to predict how long we're going to be in, with a tariff that is not a set hourly rate, but more expensive per hour for shorter times. If I get it wrong a have to ask an overly busy nurse to sit with dd (she's a baby) whilst I run out and pay for an extra extortionate hour or two. Or I have to pay the full day rate and risk the fact that we might only be in for two hours. Infuriating and expensive.

[SomebodySedateMe]

My local hospital got absorbed by a neighbouring trust and no longer exists. So now it's a trek to all antenatal appointments and parking charges that just take the absolute piss.

Local bus company run a shuttle bus three times a day that's free if you show your appointment letter so I've been trying to use that where possible (lots of killing time in corridors) but when I go in for induction we'll have to take the car. I dread to think how much it's going to cost us!

[cleaty]

I have a chronic health condition which means frequent hospital appointments. I am rarely well enough to walk to the bus stop and use public transport, but I am not entitled to a disabled badge. So I pay so much on parking. I usually have to park by the maternity unit, as it is one of the few places with enough car parking spaces.