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!

I've been kept waiting for surgery twice. Sat waiting, changed and fasting, all damn day. The second time I was in desperate need of pain relief but wasn't allowed as I'd be having a GA "any minute now".

First time the equipment broke. Second time, the patient before me had complications.

Yes, its annoying. But it isn't the staffs fault. I wouldn't want to be operated on with malfunctioning equipment. And I wouldn't want them to rush my unexpectedly complex surgery so they didn't overrun.

I'm grateful for the hard work of the staff, even if it inconveniences me. My healthcare is free. My surgery, whilst necessary, was technically elective.

I've been to hospital so many times lately (pregnant with lots of medical conditions) and I've probably spent at least £100 on parking so far... But oh well. At least I am being looked after and my baby is healthy. (And no, I can't easily afford it.)

I am going in on Friday. Appt at 9.30. Will aim to get there 9am latest. Have another appt after at 10.15. Last time I was waiting over 40 mind before my consultant even arrived at clinic... But I imagine that's because of her being busy, not sipping a coffee at a spa, laughing about pissing off her patients.

I know this is a long ramble... But in short: if you want perfectly seamless service with no delays? Go private.

The idea that the NHS saying to you 'please don't be late' should automatically mean that the NHS shouldn't be running late is preposterous. I don't understand what you mean by 'I haven't been keeping anyone waiting'- do you mean 'therefore the NHS shouldn't keep me waiting'? How, pray, given the ever increasing demand, funding freezes and staff shortages can that happen?

then give more realistic appointments, organise your workload better, be more efficient.

the nhs costs an enourmous amount of money, but the cost of the delays of appointments and treatments must be even higher than that.

Draylon

So you are telling me hospitals have zero input into how many car parking spaces are available. If so the management are incompetent and should be fired.

The point I am making about what goes on behind closed doors is simple. We are all busy. We all have lives and jobs to do, paid and otherwise. I don't expect anyone to 'know' exactly how stressful my job can be at certain times but I do expect everyone can empathize. NHS employees are not the only busy employees who are 'stressed' and working to capacity. Try auditing SEC registered broker dealers. I don't expect others to know how stressful my job is but I expect others to be a little bit understanding when I say I need some flexibility or for my appointment to be somewhat on time (at least give me a warning so I can bring my laptop and ideally have wifi available or allow me to hotspot using my phone).

As for my Dad's appointment, I happen to eat all three meals at my desk while working. Again, I don't expect you to know this but I do expect you to be able to understand that lack of lunch breaks isn't restricted to just NHS employees. Also, a bit of planning from the hospital department would have resulted in us being able to go have a leisurely lunch at the cafeteria and return in time to be seen. Instead people like my father are expected arrive at the hospital 1 hour early so I can drive around the parking lot for 30mins plus bring food with them because there is a good chance that an 11:30am appointment won't be seen for 2 hours and its too much to expect an update.

As for the 'fault' issue, I deal with clients daily. Often what they complain about isn't my individual fault at all, however, it is the fault of the team, of which I am member of. That means it is my fault in the eyes of the client no matter how good a job I do. It is the same exact situation with what patients experience when they make a complaint. While you might be a gold star employee, if the rest of your team are all polished turds, the patient is going to be left with a poor experience. Best way I handle this is to tell the client, 'Thank you for telling me this. We really value your feedback and I am going to share this with the team as well as our management. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.'

Finally, I think it is very clear that the NHS is underfunded. The percentage of GDP spent on healthcare is much lower than other similar nations and the delivery of service suffers as a result. All the countries I listed spend more than the UK and they all offer a better delivery.

Hospital parking is free everywhere in Scotland . You need to move
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*I do realise that many hospitals are out of town, or less accessible by public transport and people have emergency situations. But all of these would be easier if more people used other forms of transport.

I think all hospitals are reachable by public transport. I agree with Blu, if those that could used public transport did, there'd be enough parking for those that couldn't use public transport. The car park at ours is a huge multi storey. Yet it's always full, with a big queue down the road. I always get the train, which is actually quicker than driving. Yet hear so many people moan about the parking when they're going for a routine blood test for example. And no it's not always because they have to get back to work or pick up their dc. They just don't do public transport. They could easily park in one of the multi storeys in the shopping centre, but that would mean a ten minute walk. So rather than having ever bigger multi storey car parks by hospitals, surely the solution would be to stop using them unless you really need to drive.

Bangs head on screen. Where did I say I arrived at the hospital car park at 10.10 having been warned parking was difficult? I said if I arrive at reception at 10.15 for a 10.20 appointment I am on time and punctual. I might have arrived by bus, taxi, or have arrived at 9.30 by car to ensure I am parked and on Tim because I don't mess other people around by being late. I expect the service providers to respect my time as much ad theirs. If I'm sent a 10 30 appointment I think it's,reasonable to be seen within half an hour of it and if not to be kept informed. I expect respect to be mutual and for professions staff to comport themselves in a professional manner. I don't think it's too much to ask. If delays are one inevitable advise it in the,appointment letter. It is reasonable to expect to be seen at the appointment time.

You did not pay attention to what I wrote and you did miss the point. I think that's,quite worrying, particularly if you miss the point like that when dealing with the public at work.

I'd happily pay mire tax for the NHS but I'd expect much higher standards of service and care. It wasn't that much better 25 years ago in the era of the mass 9.30 appointment and thank goodness that doesn't happen any more. Sadly the,system has been broken for a very long time and I'm not sure whether it can be put right in its present form.

Kr1stina it's also free in most of Wales - so why not in England I wonder…?

There isn't an endless pot of money I'd guess. Do you want free prescriptions, free parking, yet a no to certain cancer drugs for example? It differs between England and Wales from what I understand, but I confess to only having a rudimentary knowledge. In the line of work I do I have come across people wanting to move because the drugs aren't allowed/available where they live.

I think whether or not you have to wait for ages for your appointment depends on what your appointment is for. I have a chronic health condition and need to visit the hospital regularly. I never have to wait more than half an hour and it's usually less. I've also noticed that the receptionists do notify patients if a clinic is running late (by putting a notice up). I think there is an understanding that people often have jobs and they possibly won't keep them if they have to take a lot of time off (despite the equality act).
I agree that parking can be a nightmare though.

Our local trust raised approx. 800k in 2014/15 from parking charges, I find that to be appalling.

Maybe the government should collect taxes from the likes of Amazon and Starbucks and provide free parking at hospitals.

^" Want2bSupermum Wed 27-Jan-16 00:20:49
Ziggy I take it you don't have to keep a job?!?"^

Oh dear, I post something you disagree with and you need to make personal comments? Not very courteous.

Yes I work. Until about six months ago I frequently worked 80 hour weeks but due to my health - note not due to the fact I had to queue for ten minutes to park at the hospital every now and then - I have scaled my hours back.

During my intense periods of work I mostly move my appointments. It's not rocket science! Also, I don't know about you, but I have a laptop and a smart phone meaning I can, and do, work anywhere. If I have to go to an appointment (mine or with friend or family) when I am busy I deal with emails while I wait. Your particular work may make mobile working difficult, if you have to be on-site elsewhere, but surely the extra ten minutes waiting to park (which can happen anywhere) or the half hour waiting when an emergency kicks in (which happens in the commercial world too, of course, only IMO you're more likely to just get cancelled at no notice) is not the crucial factor here.

Of course the NHS could run far better if it was anything like as well resourced as other countries' health services. There is no slack at all in the system, which is why appointments can easily be delayed. Only where there is slack can everything run on time all the time. It needs far more funding, as does social care.

In general, councils do have the say on the number of parking spaces at hospitals. Councils and hospitals should, of course, talk to each other. Most do. My local planning department has always opposed a multi-storey at the hospital as it would be unpleasant, unsightly and too huge for the residents. But it need not be, and it would certainly stop staff and visitor parking in front of local residents' drives. As our population ages, and frail people are more likely to be driven to hospital than use a bus, there is a growing need for car parking.

I also work at a hospital and to be able to park in the staff car park I have to arrive 40 mins early (unpaid as I'm not allowed to leave 40 mins earlier at the end of the day) and pay for the privilege out of my salary. It's a joke.

Ziggy I think my question was justified because you are saying people should plan and build it into their schedule. When you have responsibilities such as a job and children who are required to be picked up, it becomes much harder to build extra time for things like parking the car into your schedule. Clearly you have an understanding employer but not everyone does. I work a fair few hours and with having 2 DC but a DH who is often away, missing a morning of work has a significant impact on my schedule. As much as I would love for DH to do the morning drop off that doesn't happen because 4 out of 5 mid-week mornings he isn't home. I am not the only one in this position. As it is I often fly home, sometimes with my DC, to take my Dad to hospital appointments that are further afield. Let me tell you how frustrating it is to arrive at the hospital to drive around in circles for up to 45 minutes to find a parking spot for the car. I would love for it to be only 10 minutes. At best a 10am appointment is more like 35+ minutes and a 2pm appointment is more like a 45 minute hunt for a needle in a haystack. I have before now parked the car and taken a taxi back to the hospital because I was just too tired (got about an hours sleep on the plane) to walk the 3 miles in the rain at 5 months along.

Draylon Of course hospital management have a say and if they don't they should be using their skills to ensure their voice is heard plus hospital parking requirements met. It is their job to manage and if they can't manage their relationship with the council who control parking that I do think that marks them as incompetent.

I also think your attitude towards patients is lacking and if you don't enable patients to communicate their complaints to management nothing will change. If your team are running at 115% where is your management? Of course delivery of service is going to fall and you will be dealing with patients who are complaining. That is a management problem because they should be adjusting their plans. If you are at 115% for more than a short term period you are overstretched to the point of unsustainable service and management should be looking for solutions to rectify the problem. Also, if you are at 115% of capacity that of course means other resources such as parking spots are also running above capacity.

I also don't think staff should have to arrive for work early to be able to park. That is a completely inefficient use of their time and shows that management have zero respect for those working under them (again shows complete incompetence). No wonder morale is so low when you have to arrive 40 mins early for a shift to secure parking.

It's ridiculous.

When my grandmother was in hospital in NE a few years a go after a hip OP, we were paying £2 for 2hrs. When she was back in said hospital this time last year it was nearly £5. I think our local hospital made over £2mil on parking last year. It gives me the rage

At my local hospital is a university hospital so people come for miles to see specialists there. They don't have enough parking and what there is costs a fortune. There is a new P&R that goes right past the hospital on it's way to the town centre. But the council refused the request for it to stop at the hospital because it would inconvenience the shoppers! The hospital just can't win.

8am tomorrow by the look of it and I assume you receive an allowance. Did you just swerve my clarification or do you only comment on the bits you can manipulate to make others look wrong?

Whois our local hospital is 30 miles away. Three bus changes or £35 return in a taxi!

I had to take Dd last week for a checkup on her broken foot. We walked at least half a mile (Dd on crutches) after we eventually found a parking space.

draylon clearly you have terrible management of they have you believing there is nothing that can be done.

I work for a large accounting company and money is tight. We are constantly having to fight for funding to more staff and other resources. Our management are good at fighting for the bare minimum of what we need. They also work with other departments and locations to share resources. Staff are sent to locations such as San fran where we have a huge staffing shortage because my employer doesn't offer enough in wages. They also look internationally at what can be done elsewhere. It's awesome that I sent work off to a team last night and had it delivered back about half an hour ago. Instead of you being woken up at 3am why not use an international location. Here in the US I audited a hospital plus healthcare units that operate in the hospital. The hospital I audited outsourced their radiology work overnight to three doctors sitting in Israel. Yes you still have the radiologist taking the X-rays and scans but the doctor is reviewing them thousands of miles a away for a fraction of the cost.

There is also the uncomfortable truth that for the NHS that people want we have to pay more towards it. Management should be highlighting this more successfully than they have been. Yes you get given funds to run your unit but those funds you are given are always going to be somewhat negotiable. Just like when you get a job your pay is negotiable. Yes you have bands but there is still wiggle room.

Want2bSupermum Do you seriously think that NHS management just have to "highlight" the fact that they need more money and more will be given? The major difference between the NHS and a large private accounting company is that your company has the autonomy to operate as they see fit. They are not constantly organised and reorganised and told how they should operate by clueless politicians.

Want2b, you said you weren't in the UK these days? Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS has done an amazing job highlighting publicly how much more money is required for the NHS. He's just about the most powerful man in Whitehall and is playing a very cleaver game. If you're not here, you won't have seen the impact he has made.

But the current government does not want to put up taxes. They all know that it is severely underfunded. I've sat around the table with ministers and it's crystal clear. All the senior civil servants in the Department of Health and senior managers in the NHS know this. All the other organisations in the sector tell them the whole time, from small charities through councils and large corporations. But they have made a political decision not to raise taxes. It's not due to poor lobbying!

One vaguely positive thing the government has done is to 'allow' councils to add an 2% to local taxation to help with social care costs but in most cases that will barely cover the increased cost of national minimum wage. No doubt it will later say councils can't complain about the gap in social care funding as it's letting them raise more money.

There are many problems with the hangovers of the dreaded PFI where new hospitals were built, mortgaged to the hilt, and required to balance the books by doing things like charging extortionate prices for parking. This problem won't go away in the short term. One place has tried but it's early days.

Outsourcing hospital work overseas is very unpopular politically. The US health funding model is hugely inefficient. Huge costs per capita. Inequitable outcomes.

ziggy I'm back in the UK at least once a month so while I don't live in the UK I do visit on a very frequent basis. I'm also taking my father to a whole range of appointments. I do see some changes but I think there is still a very paternalistic attitude within management.

The PFI contracts were always going to be a disaster and as someone who was a banker I wholly disagreed with this type of funding.

Also, why should outsourcing not be on the table? We import doctors from around the world so with today's technology there isn't a good reason why some work can't be exported to them. The funding model isn't great here but they do have some good ideas which are cost efficient. The radiology group as an example is where outsourcing is done in a very well organized way. The doctors were all of an excellent standard and worked during their daytime. I saw the numbers and those three doctors were paid about 20% less than the US based doctors.

So you see the health service in action, but probably aren't up-to-date with the day-to-day political arguments. I agree there is a still plenty of paternalism with health but this is not exclusive to the NHS. A lot less than there used to be but it still exists. Far more healthcare is about a partnership with the patient now although there are still some cases where that means 'a partnership if the patient agrees with my recommended course of action'.

The US does have some interesting healthcare models - in particular the accountable care partnerships are something which are being looked at very closely here. There's a huge amount of financial risk involved, and after the (financial) failure of a similar model in Cambridgeshire, people are very wary.

Public sector outsourcing is subject to a great deal of scrutiny. If a scan is read wrongly in the UK there's trouble. If a scan is read wrongly in India it's - in my full on Daily Fail or Guardian mode - An Utter Disgrace That Penny Pinching Bureaucrats Simply Don't Care.