Walking through an almost empty car park, in the howling wind and thrashing rain really really got my goat yesterday.

[imaginethemdragons]

It’s the stupidity and injustice of it.
I parked 3 streets away because there is a waiting list of 1200 staff members for a monthly fee parking permit at the hospital where I work.

1200 people, nurses, admin staff etc waiting for 5 years and upwards apparently.
Just to add, the surrounding roads are all residents parking only.

If the parking people know that you are staff, paying for a daily ticket, you get fined. They have your reg on the system so know everything time you tip up.
So it is set to cost me £1,440 per year plus fines to go to work as a nurse. And if I need/want to do extra shifts, you know because there is a MASSIVE shortage of nurses with daily extra shift requests from management to make the place safe, I have to pay more.
Unless I get a permit which is £22 per month.
It boils my piss.
All I want to do is go to my job, work as hard as I can, be able to park in the half empty car park and not have to bloody worry every shift I work about this.
I was drenched, absolutely shattered after 13 hours, off late again as it was so so busy, and angry by the time I got to my car.
Madness.

I have nothing constructive to add, but this seems very unfair on nurses and NHS staff parking should be free for all hospital staff.
I just want to add a big thankyou for everything you and your colleagues do for us and I hope something can be done to resolve your parking situation

I absolutely agree it’s frustrating. I don’t understand why you can’t pay for a daily ticket though? As long as you’re paying the same as I would if I visited the hospital then what’s the issue with that?

Why is the car park empty if there are no permits available?

That is absolutely disgusting, it’s free parking where I work it’s a perk yes but I’m not working for the nhs you are and you can’t even have a bloody permit that you have to pay for . Your right to be bloody annoyed I am on your behalf shocking .

@LaurieFairyCake

Why is the car park empty if there are no permits available?

Only so many spaces are allocated for staff permits, the rest of the spaces are left for patients/visitors to pay the day rate.

The issue is I am paying to go to work.
The issue is if caught I get a fine.
The issue is we got a 1% pay rise. In one hand and out of the other, paying for parking.
That is the price of a holiday for me & my kids.
I’ve not had annual leave for 11 months due to Covid.
Due to working 60 hours a week plus during the worst most traumatic year of my working life.
The issue is I have known nurses leave the job siting parking issues as one of the reasons....PARKING!
The issue is I am forced into a corner....to be able to go to work.
The issue is massive, huge day in day out.

I think this is something to raise with your MP. It's outrageous that this is going on.

Why have you not taken any annual leave? Where on earth are you working that you’ve been so slammed with COVID that staff aren’t allowed to take their leave? The parking issue is shit and a common problem in most Trusts but you should get on to the RCN if you’re Trust aren’t allowing you to book annual leave still.

That is shit, op.

Why should hospital staff get free parking? Why not every employee everywhere?

Paying your own commuting costs - including parking - is what every other employee has to do.

Probably like me @Swizzlestick22 where you book the leave, but end up doing extra shifts in it due to the high levels of staff absence due to sickness, self isolating, childcare issues etc etc.
The pressure to work extra shifts can be huge. Along with the guilt if you don't.

OP I really feel your pain. Have you spoken to the unions about the parking issues? I'd be making a great big fuss over it.

Its like this in our hospital in Cardiff. Its appalling.

Free parking for hospital staff, or the equivalent public transport discount, would be a hugely valuable benefit if a decent pay rise is a step too far.

But surely you must have taken at least the minimum annual leave, otherwise it's illegal, pandemic or not? If they've really made you work 60 hours a week with no leave for a year, then your union should be kicking off on your behalf.

I'm a bit on the fence about this. It costs most people to get to work and many people who drive pay to park. If you were volunteers, I'd think differently.

I'd rather nurses were just paid better, tbh.

Free parking is a perk in any job.

My old min pay retail job cost me £1200 a year to park. I was wanting less than £11k pa,
That was reduced city rates for being staff.
The bus was the same price plus a mile walk from home to bus stop wasn't worth it. As well as school runs.

Free parking may be a perk , but when you are expecting people to work shifts and inconvient hours with little alternatives I think it's disgraceful

Our local hospital is the same too. And the council have extended the permit resident radius to a mile circumference around the hospital. But the car park is always packed.

I'm on the fence too. I absolutely want all staff to have free parking but not if it doesn't leave enough spaces for patients. Many will be far less able to walk three streets than a staff member.

If the patient parking is always underused then definitely staff parking should be increased, but how is it at peak times outside of COVID? I've driven round for 30+ minutes, waiting for a space, at my local hospital.

I know it's not but YANBU.
It's different to working in an office in daytime hours. I'm not NHS and I walk most places but you should be able to park on site for free.

I don’t mind paying to park but I just can’t get a permit at my hospital, as a junior doctor we rotate hospitals too quickly to ever. Get to the top of the waiting list. Nowhere to park locally as all residents. I cycle on normal days but on shifts finishing in the early hours I like to drive for safety and end up sneaking into patient parking (and paying the normal rate) but if security catch me it’s a fine...there’s not too many of them about when I leave at 3am tho! It’s not the paying it’s the lack of permits and not prioritising them to people who work when public transport is not running

NHS staff should get free parking and a better pay rise, and yes I’m happy to pay a bit more tax for it.

Thank you for everything you do OP

@user11838686969686

Why should hospital staff get free parking? Why not every employee everywhere?

Paying your own commuting costs - including parking - is what every other employee has to do.

Partly because of the shite long shifts, the nature of the work they are expected to do and the ludicrously wide no parking zones around most hospitals.

I have a friend who lives 3 miles from the hospital she works in. When her shifts allow she drives across town to the park and ride and gets the bus to work. When she can't she has a 3 mile walk through the crappier end of town where she is propositioned, threatened and followed.

I can't for the life of me work out why the NHS can't work out something better than that for it's staff!

I just Googled and the hospital I posted about has 3,400 employees and 234 car park spaces. What is the solution?

Park snd ride shuttle service
?

That's actually a good idea and probably a workable solution, midge.

Our city actually has a decent park and ride service, apart from it doesn't go very near to the hospitals and only runs from 6 am to 9 pm.

But if it could be expanded or a dedicated hospital version set up, it would probably be beneficial both to staff and visitors and some people attending appointments, if well enough to use it. Then the limited site parking would be available for people less able to use a bus service.