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

And those with no direct bus to the hospital?

That either isn't true of the 3 major London hospitals I've been unfortunate enough to visit, or they don't own the land their carparks are on.

I don't know what to do about existing hospitals (well, long-term planning in respect of everything, including sourcing land for parking), but all new hospitals should be built with parking and all staff and patients should be able to park for free. But since there isn't enough funding for major hospitals to provide anaesthetic when needed, I doubt parking will ever make it to the top of the requirements list.

Perhaps a barcode on appointment letters which allows the patient free parking would work. And a separate free carpark for staff.

Which part? Free disabled parking is mandatory - Government directive. You may need to get the ticket validated if it’s parking eye run or similar.

Our local hospital - small town, no reason to park there unless you're actually working, attending or visiting there - has a shortage of parking and charges handsomely, including staff - who are charged monthly direct from their pay, but by no means guaranteed a space.

The hospital does have a restricted car park (with a barrier) for 'essential staff'. Apparently, surgeons, doctors, nurses, lab staff, cleaners, caterers, porters are NOT essential staff at a hospital. The only ones who are essential are the ones who work 9-5, Monday-Friday in their lovely offices, and then go home.

I think this is the crux of the problem: that the big bosses don't see the people using and working at a vital community medical facility; they just first make sure that they are OK, and then it's just balance sheets all the way. If you charge people money and they pay it, that's clear 'proof' that your solution works - and probably why you are so clever and in your highly-paid job in the first place. They don't give a second thought to how people may suffer/struggle/sacrifice to have to pay those charges and/or be over a barrel and literally have no other option.

BLUE BADGE disabled parking is free. All other disabled parking is charged at the normal price.

There are lots of options open to the fit and healthy people who are probably not needing to go to the hospital in the first place, mind.

In private car park, disabled places are mandatory. But they dint have to be free.
eg parking at a shopping centre where you still pay as a BB.
If it’s council own, then yes BB spaces are free.

Having said that, the fact you have (free or not) BB spaces doesn’t mean there are enough of them.
Id say that actually in most cases, there is never enough BB spaces.

In hospitals blue badge parking has to be free. Different hospitals will have different ways of doing it but it has to be done.

car parks away from hospitals it’s always best to check the signage!

Well go and tell my local hospital then.

Saying that BB spaces have to free doesn’t mean there is an adequate number of free BB spaces. It’s impossible to find a space after 8.30am at my big regional teaching hospital. There is about 40 free BB spaces in total.

When parking has then been ‘subcontracted’ so it’s now run privately, which is all other parkings then yes, BB or not, you have to pay. Even for the ‘disabled’ BB spaces. Like it is for any other private car park.

I meant free as in not charged for (and not only if in a designated blue badge space)

the mandatory part of the parking guidance is that hospitals can not charge blue badge holders for parking.

Disabled peopleA disabled person is a holder of a valid Blue Badge attending hospital as a patient or visitor or is a disabled person employed by the hospital trust.
Disabled patients and visitors receive free parking for the duration of their attendance at, or visit to, the hospital. Disabled employees receive free parking while at the hospital for purposes relating to their employment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Our hospital was cheap problem was it was full of people parking there and walking into town

I think a park and ride would be the best option

@sirzy and what is the guidance saying about the number of spaces to have?

It’s all nice and well to say BB spaces are free but if there are very few of them, it doesn’t change the fact people with BB still have to pay. Because they have nowhere else to park!!

Of course people are going to park a hospital car park if it’s convenient and cheap.
Thd majority of people are selfish, we have excellent role models in this, just look at the government!
People think about their own needs.
If they need to park then they need to park.
Even BB holders are bloody selfish, they constantly park across the private parking bay a relative of mine is entitled to use.
They could pull down 2 feet but no, they block off the access constantly.

Our main work base is a NHS clinic complex. Free parking on site - but you can no longer get parked because it's permit only on the street opposite - so all the residents there are now refusing to pay for the council issued permits and just park in our carpark instead. We've had a fair few cars vandalised as well - it's becoming a massive issue, but it's one of those bases where there's a huge range of different staff who use the premises over the course of different days - so it's a hard one to solve (and we think the Trust would rather sell it off for cash than invest in a parking barrier or anything).