To just miss appointments as can’t park?

[Wishitwascooler]

Hospital is full to bursting and you can’t park anywhere for miles around. They won’t talk to me on the phone as I’m in the car even though outside hospital 😂 not sure what to do!

public transport? Taxi? Ask them to help arrange NHS transport if you have mobility issues? Explain to work?
Many hospitals are in cities, so driving and parking can be an issue, but they also tend to have very good public transport too - at least in the UK

I wrote a post moaning about hospital parking too. I live rurally because…farm. I have also been known to moan about the lack of Deliveroo, taxis, buses, gritting in the winter, bin collections…

Had you not realised the majority of mumsnet posters are perfect and have never got anything wrong or been late for anything in their lives?

Tiddly - ah , lack of deliveroo drivers, well yes maybe sell up and move to the city!

My local hospital’s car park is unpredictable. Often has plenty of space, sometimes has queues down the road. I’m sure it ties up with clinic times but not being privvy to the hospital-wide scheduling of clinic times, I just have to take my chances with my antenatal appointments.

I'm glad you made it OP. 😊It WBU to make a habit of it, but all 3 of our local hospitals are like this and I don't know anyone who hasn't been caught out at least once.

Tokyo, well i do think its odd to complain about cars issues when you are part of the problem

And when your not able to walk far, there is no public transport and taxis are too expensive?

I'm going through cancer treatment. Can't walk far (but not eligible for a blue badge). Zero public transport and I'm immune compromised so couldn't even if there was. And a taxi to and from the hospital would cost £36 each way!

So please do tell me how I afford that when going for radiotherapy 5 x a week?

Multi storey car parks could be the answer. There seem to be so few of them and vast swaths of land are used for surface parking.

When I used to live in Bucks the nearest train station was ground level and it was a nightmare. Get there at 0730 or you were stuffed. Then they built a multi storey one and the issue went away and it’s one of the easiest to park in now.

@mayorofcasterbridge

Yes, all of the traffic around hospitals is caused by farmers.

It's mostly staff and visitors actually (this is tracked) many of which could get there by other means, visitors in particular.

That's because those of us who live rurally have been the worst hit in terms of the distraction of public transport.
20 years ago the bus ran through my village twice and hr to both the nearest major town and also the nearest city.
Now we have one bus to the town in the morning and one in the late afternoon - but only when they have enough staff. No bus direct to the city you have to go to town first.
You can't even walk to town from here anymore because when they widened the road they removed the path and it's a national speed limit road so isn't safe to walk along.

Presumably you have a good sense of the issues around parking and arrive at work before all the patients start arriving?

As opposed to people who may visit the hospital rarely or this is the first time and arrive during hours that the out patient clinics are running (alongside hundreds of other people)

Shiterider, you would think in 2023, most people know that driving a car is a shit show these days, it's hardly news

Ours is like this, depending on ward visiting times.

Last year I took DS to A&E for an injury and ended up queuing on the internal road for 45 mins to even get into the car park. He recently had a late clinic appointment and we ended up spending 45+ mins loitering in the car wasting capacity as we managed to get in straight away. Being early adds to the problem, but you don't want to risk being late.

It's two bus routes away and needs to allow 90 mins to allow for bus changes and deviation from timetable. That doesn't compare favourably with a 20 min driving time. On this occasion DS was blinded by a migraine and couldn't cope with traipsing around town between bus stops and half a mile across a hospital site.

It's easy to blame this government, but the roots in this instance are when New Labour created super hospitals on a less accessible site with unrealistic assumptions (as happens throughout planning) that people can all access public transport, ignoring time pressures, costs, provision and accessiblity. As previously mentioned, local residents didn't want multi-storey parking, but they're probably regretting that now.

Not necessarily, unless you’re used to travelling in heavily congested areas most people wouldn’t bank on it taking an hour or more to do a journey which usually takes twenty minutes which is exactly what happened at my previous hospital appointment .

But if I struggle to get someone with a broken leg and ankle and a lot heavier than me to the car, there’s no way I’m getting them on a bus. This is not for the initial X-ray etc. this is to go in for surgery and subsequent trauma outpatient appts. I just don’t know how you’re actually supposed to do stuff like this.

@justgettingthroughtheday you book hospital transport.

This thread is batshit. All of these perfect people leaving 14 hours to get to and park at a hospital appointment; do you not have one of these things called a job? Which pays me monthly but not before they deduct a heft sum that goes towards paying for these hospitals I can't fucking get to?

There is a massive shortage of BB spaces at two of the three hospitals I visit so even then you are not guaranteed a space.

Northampton is my local hospital and I've been a regular visitor over the years for family, myself and my kids. It's an absolute nightmare to park as they have taken most of the parking for staff. I'm fortunate that I can plan to leave earlier to arrive with time to constantly circle the place to park. We've learned over the years that if possible someone drives and drops off the patient if possible so at least they can get to their appointment

@sunshinesupermum - after 10am don't bother with the car park. There's usually plenty on the street or drive around to the streets at the back (near the children's wards) and walk through the gate.

mondaytosunday this morning's appointment was at 9.00 and I did manage to park ok but other times of the day it has proved impossible so most times I take two buses to be sure. Thanks!

You are not entitled to a BB.
I tried that one when pregnant with twins, I was more horizontal than vertical 🤣🤣
Before anyone comments…yes I know I was out of order.

If I can, I will still see the late patient but I often am doing so in my dinner hour, giving you a shortened appointment or risking impacting on my next patients time slot. Or making me late home.

Genuinely why?

If patient one is late why can't you just start with the first person who is there and slot the latecomer into the slot that's now available.

I'm always there early. So if I'm there at 10 for a 10:15 appointment and the 10 am appointment is late surely you would just see me at 10 and them at 10;15?

Presumably you have (example) 20 patients and 20 slots?

And if not why not?

With all the merging, centralisation and building of hospitals in bad locations to begin with you don't even have to live rurally to struggle to access an appointment by public transport or taxi. The catchment areas of hospitals can be large and no one can force private bus companies to provide the routes that patients and staff need.

It's chaos. I've worked in hospitals where staff arrive an hour early to get a space and then eat cereal and do make up in the car. One place even had an official system for when you had to block someone in with your car and leave contact details on the window.