Hospital Parking Charge - AIBU to think this is outrageous?

Contact your Mp.
I don’t think admin staff, people working regular hours or people having a routine appointment should get free parking at hospitals btw.

Disgraceful for you to have been given a fine for this. A sad indictment of our wicked society. It’s obvious people need to park at A&E. They need to make spaces.

A medical emergency doesn't mean you can park wherever you like. When you like. What if everybody did that?

Do you hear yourself.

It's nobody's fault.There wasn't parking available. Suck it up and pay the fine.
It's not the parking companies fault your son is sick nor are they obliged to provide anyone with free parking that has an emergency.

I would have done the same as you OP. Hospital parking is insane.

I hope your correspondence with the CEO is successful, and that your DS is feeling much better very soon.

I have a blue badge, and sometimes park on double yellows (if necessary), unless there are yellow bands painted from the road over the kerb. I checked with a traffic warden when I first got my blue badge, and they told me I could stay there for up to 3 hours, so I am surprised you got a ticket after just 2. I would have tried to appeal against the ticket too in your shoes, I hope they cancel it.

For life and death situations you take the hit.

You parked on a double yellow line, and you know you did because you said you said thought you'd chance it.

For a life and death situation, I would have accepted the fine and paid it.

Hope your DS is feeling better OP.

I remember the horror drive to A&E when my DS was diagnosed with T1 and in DKA. His GP said an ambulance would take too long and to go straight there while he phoned ahead. It was visiting hours, so a queue to get into the car park. I ended up leaving my car half up a verge in the staff car park. I have never felt fear like it.

So if they quash your fine it's probably because they want to be nice to you, but what about the next time? The next 5 people that also park where they're no supposed to? Should everyone just ignore the lines?
The yellow lines weren't there before, and now they are, it's evident that there's been an issue with people parking there.
I think you're very entitled taking it this far TBH. You knew you were in the wrong parking there in the first instance and that a penalty was always a risk. You took a chance and now blaming your situation on anyone, not understanding it was unfortunate timing there wasn't an actual space for you in the car park.
I'd have just sucked it up and paid the initial fine.

Can you imagine how much land would be required to have parking spaces available, all the time, for everyone that wants one?

Or how high the multistory car park would have to be, and the cost to build and own the land?

I’d just pay it. You won’t win and you were parked in the wrong place.

YOU DON'T NEED TO SHOUT DEAR....

I didn't see where it said this was private land, just a road leading to a carpark.

And to the PP who said you can't park on double yellows on a road, only singles - you're wrong, where on earth did you get that from? Go look at the blue badge page on the gov.uk website, thats where I got my information (and the booklet that comes with my Blue Badge), I didn't invent this for the purposes of this thread.

NOT ON PRIVATE LAND.

I’d have done exactly what you did but I’d have paid the fine when it first came through and chalked it up to experience.

Not true anymore. Parking Eye v Beavis 2015. Private parking companies can and do take these through all the way to County Court, many people think they can ignore with impunity then all of a sudden, they've got a CCJ and enforcement agents on their doorstep.

I think that may be unkind to a number of developing countries to make that comparison.

I think the NHS is evidently unable to provide what we expect of it anymore. These private parking companies are part of that economic pressure. Their hawkishness is deeply repulsive.
I had a scan recently near here and the nurse told me there are countless nurses who have court processes going on as they have had the temerity of trying to park at their place of work. That to me is unforgivable.
The government definitely should intervene to address how aggressive these companies are - I believe there is scope for that.
However - I tend to see the NHS as such a huge privilege, with all its problems, and I would be horrified by this but I would also be grateful not to get a bill for thousands of pounds for my child’s treatment.
My niece who lives and works abroad didn’t go to hospital recently until she had contacted her insurance company and checked which hospital she could legitimately go to as she was terrified her condition would not be covered or might only be covered in certain centres.
It is awful but we are still extraordinarily lucky.

Was there really no-one you could have called to sit with your son in the two hours' waiting to be seen so you could move the car? Could your husband have left work early as it was an emergency? I think you should pay it and get a lift/taxi next time. Having a blue badge doesn't make a space magically appear unfortunately.

We’ve become to accept the standards of a developing nation. Lack of parking at a hospital is just an unacceptable failure of infrastructure.

I always opt for someone driving and dropping off or taxi. It’s just not like it used to be as there are so many cars on the road now with far fewer people taking public transport or walking. It’s not likely to improve anytime soon and unfortunately, whilst I totally feel your frustration, the problem with a hospital is that by it’s nature there’s always going to be someone in worse circumstances than you, whereas if you were in a different location, your circumstances might be more unique.

Why should I be fined for parking safely without causing an obstruction or inconvenience to anybody so I could get my kid into A&E as an emergency?

Because that is the rule. Because you knowingly parked on double yellow lines. I said further up I would have done the exact same thing as you in those circumstances. But I would have paid the fine when it first arrived because I would have expected it as a consequence of my actions.

So was it a council road or private? If it’s private it’s not a fine, it’s a charge. You might have a way to get out of paying it but you should consult the experts at Free Legal Traffic Advice https://www.ftla.uk/ - good luck. If it’s a fine from the council then you should have paid it as you committed the offence. Sorry!