Hospital parking fees. What's the answer

[cadygal257]

Just watching morning news and it's a big topic this morning. I'm just not sure what the right answer is.
I spend a lot of time at three separate hospitals.

Hospital A- near a city centre, if they didn't charge for parking it would be full of people who work or shop nearby

Hospital b- similar issue but near a large town centre, so again would be full of people working in the nearest town

Hospital c. Could offer free parking as no big shops or business nearby

I suppose you could introduce a "verified parking system" but that's got to be paid for as well and who covers that's

I honestly think there is no easy answer to this and believe me I would highly benefit from free hospital parking, dread to think what I spend each month

Hasn't the mantra for the past 30 years been "public transport" ?

They could do the two free hours then charge, like many shopping car parks now. It would encourage people to not hang round in the wards all day too.

At our hospital, you can spend that long trying to find a space to park in!

Yea ideally. Not always possible though

If they offer free parking, they have to offer to pay for staff and patients other transport fees. They can’t reward driving, not fair on those who can’t or chose not to.

The three hospitals I go to are free parking but you can never get parked at two of them - and this is with a blue badge. This means DP drops me off and just double parks and waits for me. Not ideal when nearly every oncology appointment I go to brings more bad news 🙁. We need more multi storey parking at hospitals. Public transport all well and good but takes me 20 minutes in the car to my nearest hospital and 2.5!hours on the bus.

How does that work when they are 2 hours late with your appointment ?

Our car park has to be self funding to pay off the mortgage type arrangement taken out to build it. Otherwise the money would take away from healthcare. NHS is free at the point of contact but it’s unrealistic to expect parking to be included.

As far as I’m aware the major hospital nearest to me does not own the land. It’s complicated but the NHS rents the land or something like that ( a bit like when you take out a mortgage) so the car park is either privately owned or the NHS is paying back the money it borrowed to build the hospital and car park.
So everyone including staff, have to pay to park there.
It’s not cheap but quite frankly I as a tax payer do not want to pay for this so I’m good with those who use it having to pay.
I work for my local authority and they don’t provide free or subsidised parking for me.
I have to pay to park in the car park for work. What’s more, they have reduced the parking time down to max 4 hours in the ones closet to work so I have to park and walk.
On balance I think paying to park in the hospital car park is the only reasonable way.

I don’t know really. Nowhere else is free to park so why should hospitals be any different.

But I’d like to think the charges just cover the costs and they’re not making massive profits out of it.

Crossposts with Teen yes that’s exactly it.

One of my local hospitals offers a reduced rate in certain circumstances IE staff or an out patient attending appointments. Believe there is also a special rate if you have to go often.
Appalled at some of the parking charges and yes it should be looked at.

Huh? Like every other employer in the country?!

I think it's awful that staff have to pay extortionate parking fees just to go to work. At the very least, they should be able to park for free. Being able to drive to work widens the pool of talent the hospital can pick from as they aren't dependent on living nearby/crap public transport. So may actually help improve staffing levels and quality of care.

Many people go fairly infrequently for outpatients appts only so it's not a big drama to pay. What would be useful though is a reduced rate (via some sort of card?) for those who have to go a lot - or maybe a monthly/annual pass.

If they have to charge, then honest charging for time parked, rather than taking money upfront for an estimated time (with the added risk of going over) should be the bare fucking minimum.

I know a couple of hospitals that have started charging for BB parking - when they did spaces suddenly became free which confirms how many people were "borrowing" badges to save a few quid.

I don't mind paying at ours when I can get a space! I'm much more willing now that you actually pay for the time you use, rather than having to guess how long you might be, then adding an extra hour or two just in case, as you are definitely going to miss being called in whilst popping out to extend your ticket.

NHS staff pay £12.00 a day to work in AE, so almost £3k off take home pay.

Staff parking has an 18month waiting list at our local hospital.

Alternative is parking in a residential area is over 1 mile away, residents have damaged staff cars parking there and or shouted abuse at them and when its dark or pissing down, its not safe or practical.

All NHS should have free parking and patients pay for occasional visits BUT have a concessionary fee if regular visitors or treatment.

Many many employers don't offer free parking. That's one of the reasons I think the Parking would be full by 8.30 everyday

I think the type of ticket where you pay on exit for time used is fairest. E.T.A I mean for patients/visitors, not staff.

Pay on exit is always better. Unless it’s for work when you know you have to pay the maximum rate that sort of thing.
Ours has barriers and cameras so you take a ticket and pay on exit.
Its a long walk too so you clock up a good 10 minutes before you get into the hospital!

Oh yes of course if it was free people would park there for work. Myself included.

Haven't been to our local hospital for a number of years, but last time I went it was pay on exit (at a machine which you put your reg number into and it shows a photo of your car entering the carpark). There is also an option to pay by phone/online within 24 hours. So I suppose that gets rid of needing to know how long you're going to be there for.

The 2 main hospitals (same trust) around here are a nightmare to park at regardless of the charges.

It will never happen for financial reasons but I think smaller, more local services would help. Many hospitals have massive catchment areas and people who don't live near them can really struggle with appointments. Public transport often isn't a reasonable option.

I don't think most employers offer free parking?
Maybe those that are lucky enough to have their own car park, but how many have a large enough area for all their staff? And if they do, I expect it's customers first.

It does affect recruitment. I know plenty of people who have conducted interviews, made job offers only for it to fall through when the applicant is told that they will need to go on a waiting list for a parking space.